The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-09-15
LIGHTNING SPARES WOMEN.
Many More Men struck. Perhaps by
Reason of Greater Exposure.

FROM the Boston clone.
Many persons are timid during thunder
storms. in consequence OF peculiarly ner-
vous organization. Such persons may be
/ assured that the risk OF being killed o.
/ lightning Is extremely slight when con-
pared with the mortality from other
causes. la general II may be-statcd that
| such an event occurs only one threc-hun-
dredth as often as a death frcn typhoid
| fever and only one two-thousandth az
| often a. a death from consumption. la
other words while there have been az
least 10000 deaths from consumption and
| $500 from typhoid fever In Massachu-
| setts since 1872. there have been only 49,
deaths from lightning in the state IN the
same time.
A. a general rule persons ore more ia.
/ bic 10 harm from lightning when OUT o.
doore than when they are sheltered ID
| hc uses. Tall trees undoubtedly endangcr
| the lives OF persons who are sheltered be-
meath them. We, many cases are report
| 81 Of lightning stroke In open fields In
a Rouse. the best position IN a thunder.
| Storm Is the center OF large room since
/ the electric fluid usually bat not alwayp.
| follows the walls Of the room. sailors NJ
sea are liable 20 lightning stroke, ana
| metallic objects carried in the pockets
niso render one liable 90 harm
| When death occurs Il IS usually instan-
| taneous. but has been known TO occur
from secondary causes after the lapse Of
several days. The head and upper parts
Of the body are most liable 20 injury. and
woupds. burns. and biisters are often
round AFTER death. Cases also occur an
which no marks whatever are found. IL
| the person struck is standing at the time
OF the accident. a hole In the foot may
b. found. marking the point where the
lightning leaves the body aud enters thu
ground.
singular effect ~ lightning sometimes
noticed Is the appearance OF certain tree
like marks upon the body. which we're
thought by early observers 10 be due &C.
the presence of ncighboring trees photo
graphed upon the skin. DR. Richardson
showed by experiment that these marks
were probably the imprints OF the blood
vessels on the skin. owing to the action Of
the lightning IN the blood since the blood
Is itself the best electrical canductor OF
all human tissues.
Women are not so often killed or injured
by lightning as men. the proportion being
about as TO 5. out OF iS5 deaths which
occurred In Massachusetts, from this cause
/ In hity-siN years OS42-gO nfly-three were
women aud 10 were men. and the sex OF
three was not stated.
The three months of summer claimed los
| far the greater number OF victims. i54 out
of iS2 deaths from this cause, in which
the date was given. having occurred In
| June July and August About one-half 81
/ the deaths occurred among persons who
were from fifteen 90 forty years Of age.
while there were only four deaths among
children under fve years OF age.
The reasons for these differences In
numbers of deaths at different ages and
| 10 the two sexes consist IN the differences
in the exposure 10 risk. since men ieni
a MIRO exposed life IN the open air and
tee same b. also true Of persons Twins
AT ttc active and vigorous time OF life.
fifteen to forty years.
An Intelligent writer on this subicc.
/ pr j. l.. sullivan OF Maiden. in sum
ming up the possibilities Of lightning
/ strokes. makes the following statement:
Lightning may heal as well as harm. o.
may abolish sight hearing. and the power
OF voluntary motion. or Il may restore the
lost senses and cure paralysis. IL may
strip the body naked and consume che
clothing. while the wearer escapes unhurt.
or Il may consume the Individual aud
leave his garments untouched. one per
son who lis fatally injured may be hufi-
"a violently TO a distance. while another
o. ieft Ia the precise attitude and spot
in which death surprised him. one case
may present extensive anatomical ching
IS. such as rupture Of the heart or frac-
turc Of the bones. while In another no in
jury viii bee detected. There may he sub
den burning Of the body or u may he
consumed slowly. as by spontaneous COM
buEtion. ana only gradually he reduced
10 ashes" He also adds chat "the Inn
mediate disappearance OF the stricken
person may occur without leaving a trace
of his body. such cases having been op-
served from an the observations which
have been made upon this subject q would
appear that the objects 90 be avoided
IN a thunderstorm are trces. mnsts tall
poles. spires or steeplcs. water bell wires.
stovcplpes. electric wires. crowds OF peo-
pie, drovcs Of cattle. umbrellas. and metal
ornaments.