Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-02-04
DEATH BY VIOLENCE
1T is PAINLESS, AS A RULE, BECAUSE
OF TIE NERVOUS SHOCK.

ever, the hioEe Intense is the S.f,
fsrinS of the Victim Effects OF
Faiis-DesthS From Poisoning,
Ii Is safe 10 say that violent death
Is painless. A person suffering from a
great shock feels little or no pain, but
II great loss OF blood accompanies the
accident then conditions are different.
ma the death thus resulting Is one of
intense pain. | have observed that
pain varies inversely with the shock.
The more violent the shock the less the
pnin, and, inyersely, the less the shock
tile greater the pain. In cases where
an arm or leg Is cut off by accident
the injured person is apparently only
stupefed and does not seem conscious
OF any pain or agony. When asked
how he feels lie usually answers,
Pretty WE'LL" showing That he does not
suffer greatly. In the interval between
the shock of the Injury end death he Is
apt to appear dazed without losing
consciousness.
If the accident and injury are more
seyere-shy both limbs or arms are
severed then there is ev, a more no.
tlcenble absence of sens.tiveness to
pain.
On the other hand, abdominal injuries
are followed by the most excruciating
palms. A gunshot wound In the nbdo-
men leaves the injured keenly alive to
the acute suffering which comes with
loss Of blood. He is nervous, brighten
or ot,6
or cries out in his terror. Even though
the wound may have been self in
fiicted. in almost every case of this
kind the patient cries for relief and
wants to live. The greater the loss of
blood the more intense the pain. If by
chance such patient RECEIVERS after
being at the point of death, he is apt to
remember all his sensations following
the shot. In cases of accidents to the
arms, limbs or from falls which render
the persons unconscious, where they do
recover or become lucid, they have no
recollection Of the pain they suffered at
the time of the accident or anything i'm
mediately preceding the blow or fail
] had case of very painful and
frightful accident one day. A. man was
brought into the hospital so mangled
that he scarcely resembed human
being. An iron girder had fallen on
him while he was at work on Il build
Ing. 1t had crushed him horribly His
thighs were broken; his back was CASH
ed and bruised SO that his flesh fell
away in great flaps. The man seemed
to have no pain at all and no feeling In
his body. took hold of the flaps of
flesh, but the injured creature appeared
TO feel nothing.
1t Is popular fallacy that those who
meet violent deaths lose consciousness
before the shock OF the blow. the fall or
the shot comes In cases of falling
from grent height 1t is generally be
lieved that the one who Is sent flying
to the earth below dies before striking
the bottom or becomes unconscious of
what is happening. That Is not true.
Inconsistencies does not come until
the shock Of concussion Is felt.
IF death does not result at once, the
brain loses oil knowledge Of what Is
going on or what happened before 1t
received the blow. After conclusion
OF the brain produced by fall or a
blow the Individual seldom remembers |
anything connected with the accident.
Death from poisoning Is one of the !
most violent means of ending life. The |
taking of carbolic ncd, which Is thu |
commonest means Of poisoning, Is moth |
Ing short of horrible. While one might |
burn ones finger off with carbolic acid |
and not suffer any great pain. the effect |
would be different If 1t were taken in |
ternally. Up to the moment that death |
comes 1t is generally supposed that the |
pain Is violent and acute. With some !
of the other poisons. such as strychnine.
prusslc acid. nicotine, etc, the intensity !
or the pain varies with the drug. In
the Gaze of strychniIe, for example, the |
person iapses into state of opisthoto- |
mos, which Is accompanied by violent |
spasms. The mind remains absolutely |
clear and keenly alive to the pain till |
death, which is said to be nothing short |
OF terrific comes. Opisthotomos is n |
condition where the patient rests in the
bed. or whatever he is lying on, on the
back of his head and his heels, with the /
muscles OF the body rigid. This condi- |
lion is one OF the symptoms OF strych-
nine poisoning. as 1t Is of some of the |
other alkaloids which produce SO called |
tetanic commissions.
Generally speaking. death from burn
Ing is most painful. but there are occa-
bions when it is almost instantaneous. -
Alexander b. Johnson a. D., in New
York Herald.
Lonfers an Trouble HIsGers