Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-09-22
SURE SIGN OF DEATH.
ONE SIMPLE TEST THAT, 1T is AL
LEGGED, NEVER FAILS.

4 Pr P-iCian who Says He Has Tried
1t In More Than Thousand Cases
Explains His Method of Preventing
Premature Burial.
The question Of an absolutely sure
sign OF death has troubled mankind
from ancient times. 1t has been most
yarioUsIy answered, but never to en-
tire satisfaction. The difficulties we
: meet with are: First, that not all or
gans Of the body die in one moment,
: and second. that the action of some Of
the vital organs may be So diminished
that by ordinary means il appears al
most impossible to decide whether the
, life III them is in fact extinct or not.
! The actual causes of physiological
death are three: First, cessation of
I brain function; second, cessation of
respiration or failure of the lungs;
third, failure of the heart.
The first, involving immediate death
of the central or animal nervous sys-
TEN only, is not At once followed by
the inactivity Of the peripheral nervous
system ana its special 50 called vegeta-
tive centers, as long ago was demon
stratcd by BrownSequard, SChin and
others. SO the lungs may continue to
contract and expand. the heart may
continue To beat. even if with greatly
diminished power. We know further
that the life of the skin is not extinct.
Hair ana nails continue 10 grow. the
stomach continues t. digest, the liver
to sccrctc bile. etc. Respecting the sec
Cnd cause Of death. we well know that
respiration may cease for quite awhile
If the brain i not affected ana the cir
culation not Interrupted. And of the
third cause. by heart failure. the same
may be said. So we see that we may
speak Of true. absolute physiological
death only after the cessation Of fuuc-
ton of the three organs together or ut
least Of two of them. the lungs and the
heart, without the life action of which
the brain certainly cannot operate.
Now. as regards respiration. we have
very simple means to demonstrate its
cessation. So remains. in fact. rs the |
only one TO show its true death the |
heart This To prove indeed with abSo- |
lutte certainty is quite Il difficult prob |
lem. Upon the absence therefore OF |
any and all traces Of circulation in the |
body have been concentrated most cX- |
pcrimcutS. And as regards the same |
we have to take into consideration that |
10y disease the heart beats might be dI-
minished to but 50 few faint pulsatious
per minute. might become 50 impcrcCp- |
tiblc, that without the aid Of special in
Strumcnts ana long continued obscrya-
tons nothing OF their existence may be
detected.
IN the following shall give the sim
10 I S,rl |
.nough may convince himself of the alb
Scucc or presence even of the slightest
traces of circulation:
II we ligatc tight I member of the
for example. Il finger be-
tween the first ana second ioint-in the
living we will soon notice, beginning al /
most at once 4 reddish co1oration of the
portion above the ligature. 1t becomes |
larkcr and darker red and finally as
5umes dark blush red color. The
'ntire upper portion will be thus at
'ected, and only directly around the l!c-
iturc there viii be small. colorless.
white ring. Now, as sure Is this dis
,Oloration viii be observed in the living
,cinG, as sure viii all traces of 1t be
absent in the dead. The Blush diScoIor-
.tion occasionally observed of and
lround the finger nails in some cOrpSes
: Of no influence upon. nor does it in
crfcre in the slightest with, the phe
lomeuon and its correct Interpretation.
The phenomenon of course i easily I
.nough explained in the living by the
OF the blood in the veins
md the Capillarics when n new supply
through the arteries and the backflow |
through the veins is cut of by the liCa-
urc The white ring around the latter
: produced hy the partial arterial. par
ial venous anpmia.
In place Of finger. If. as it at times
nay happen. the skin seems too thick
md horny to show the phenomenon /
,lainly. though this VIII but seldom oc-
Ur, one may use the toes. the earlaps.
ven the tip Of the nose. if desired. The
member must be only thin enough in
rider to make the ligature as tight and
'erfect aS possible.
l nave used this means in about l .O30 . ,
o loo cases previous to post norton
examinations.
In one case only observed the men
toned diScoloration, though il was
10 notice any heart action .
y any means. | at once rcsOrtcd TO ,
encseCti"n. and. sure enough. the .
Hood flowed, and after 4 short time
amt heart beats up to seven per
minute could be distinguished. Every
hing was done 10 start respiration.
ct il was too late, and the heart beats
-ithin half an hoCr gradually dimin-
she'd. The corpse had been lying
" dead for over two hours-Dr. TEeo-
-.