The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-09-27
SURE SIGN or Deaf.
ONE SIMPLE TEST THAT. IT .
LEGGED, NEVER FAILS

IIoIDf NENEh FAILS
A Physicinn who Says ue u,.
IL In More Than "A Thouso., re
Explains Ills Method of pr.,.e'
Premature Burial.
The question Of an absoluto,,
sign of death has troubled no.,,
from ancient times. 1t has boo, -.
variously answered, but never ,o
tire satisfaction. The dlfBcnltoa
meet with are: First, that not all
gans of the body die in ono ror.
and second, that the action Of so,9s
the vital organs may be So dlmlr,.,
that by ordinary means It anpoo..
most impossible TO decide wbstbo.
life In them is in fact extinct or NO,
The actual causes Of pbvslolo,.,.
death are three: First. cessotIos
brain function; second, ccssotlon
respiration or failure Of tbo lr.
third, failure Of the heart
The first, involving immediate 4,
of the central or animal nervor.
tenn only, is not at once follo,ro5
the inactivity of the peripheral porr,,
system and its special so called vo,o.
tive centers, as long ago was dor
strated by Brown-Sequard Scbir
others. SO the lungs may continro
contract ana expand, the heart nv.
continue TO beat, even if with gro.Sl
diminished power. We know f,r,,
that the life of the skin is NOT ovtn.
Hair and nails continue to grow M
stomach continues to digest tho ur'
to sccrete bile, etc RESPECTING tbo ,o
ond cause of death, we well know IN !.
respiration may cease for quite awbu.
If the brain is not affected and tbo of I
culatlon not interrupted. And of Il,
third cause, by heart failure tbe can,
may be said. SO we see that we ma =,
speak of true, absolute physloloclcl
death only after the cessation Of finn
tlon Of the three organs together or I,
least of two Of them, the lungs and m \
heart, without the life action Of vbIcl
the brain certainly cannot operate
Now, as regards respiration. we borl
very simple means to demonstrate N
cessation. So remains, I'm fact rs II
only one to show its true death An
heart. This to prove indeed with ahsd
lutte certainty is quite q difficult proi
lem Upon the absence therefore A
any and all traces of circulation I'm tIl
body have been concentrated most ID
perimeuts. And aus regards the sand
we have TO take into consideration tb 4
by disease the heart beats might be "A
minished to but so few faint nulsatlonI
per minute. might become so impercc1
tiblc, that without the aid of special n
struments and long continued obsevd
tions nothing Of their existence may N
detected
In the following ! shall give the sind
pie means by which any person easlj
enough may convince himself Of the al
sence or presence even of the slightei
traces of circulation:
If we lgate tight a member Of I'd
body for example, o finger ID
tween the first and second i0nt-n I'd
living we will soon notice, beginning a
most at once, u reddish colorauon Of I'd
portion above the ligutWo. 10 becOmd
darker and darker red and finally a
sumes IA dark blush red color. TIL
entire upper portion viii be thus A
fected, and only directly around the ID
ature there win be a small, col0rlesi
white ring. Now, as sure as this dli
coloration will be observed in the llvinl
being, as sure will all traces Of 1t y
absent in the dead. The blush discoof
alton occasionally observed Of AM
around the finger nails i'm some corpse
Is Of no influence upon, nor does It a
terfere in the slightest with the phi
nomenon and its correct Interpretation
The phenomenon of course is easl,
enough explained in the living by u
stagnation of the blood I'm the vein
and the capillaries when new suppl
through the arteries and the backuo'
through the veins Is cut of by the llsa
ture. The white ring around the Iatle
is produced by the partial arterlaL pal
| tial venous angmia.
In place of finger, If, as 1t at tune
may happen, the skin seems too thlG
and horny to show the phenomen0
plainly, though this will but seldom o
cur, one may use the toes, the eaTIaI'
even the tip OF the nose, if desired W
member must be only thin enough
order to make the ligature as lIsA' aiT
perfect as possible. -,
have used this means in about IV1
to l,O40 cases previous 70 post inOrVT
examinations.
In one case only | observed the me4
toned discoloration, though wa
impossible to notice any heart acug
by any means. at once resoI'eu
venesection, and. sure enough "
blood flowed, and after short ul
faint heart beats up to seven y
minute could be distinguished EVIL
thing was done to start resplTauu1
Yet it was too late, and the heart u'pI
within half an hour gradually u,I ,
ished. The corpse had been Gul
for dead for over two hours'-Dr' l"''
dore DeeclIe I'm Utica Press.