The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-07-01
DANGER OF BURIAL ALIVE.
Instances of Suspended Animation,
Including Case OF a Washing
tOnian.
Cleveland Plain Dealer.


DR.. E. P. Vollum, u S. A, was, when
lad of Is years, drowned" in Long
Island Sound one morning about 10
o'clock. His body was placed in
wagon and hauled three miles to MS
home and prepared for burial. At day
light next morning one Of the watchers
discovered signs of life, Vollum, after
graduating at the MEDICAL college
passed the army examination and be-
came a doctor in the army,
At the battle of Gettysburg bullet
passed through the head of Gen. Paul
tearing out both eyes. Three days lat
er his body was removed from the
field into a house DR.. Vollum, having
had a narrow escape from premature
burial, had adopted the opinion that
there is no certainty of death until
the body clearly shows decay" re-
fused to have him buried. Several
days later the general showed signs
of life, and in time recovered MS
health and strength and, although
blind, lived fourteen years in Wash
ington, D. c.
In the afternoon of the battle OF
Chickamauga an Ohio soldier on
snoderass Hill was shot through the
body He was carried to the regimen
tai surgeon and pronounced dead. Tne
writer had the pleasure of going over
that field in 1898 with this soldier
and his handsome young daughter. He
was then a member of the Ohio State
legislature, and was a robust, healthy
man.
It seems that the third day after he
was shot he became sufficiently con-
scious to attract the attention OF a
sergeant of a virgiana regiment, who
noure6 some water on his wound and
gave him some to drink. The next
dav the Confederates carried him 10
the doctors at snodgrass House.
After DR.. vollum was transferred to
the retired list he went abroad ana
there met a wealthy Englishman, who
maid the expenses of publishing the
book vollum wrote some years later
on premature burials.
yollum states that two undertakers
in England told the Englishman ana
himself "that if what they personally
knew was published it would horrify
the world" He stated that if persorN
died in Germany the law required that
II he at once reported to the nearest
nhysician of the government, who at
once takes possession of the body
moves it to a mortuary, placing 1t IN
comfortable bed, where it is under
constant observation until decay is
shown. The mortuaries are built IN
cemeteries, and the attendants live IN
them. 1t is said that the last mort
uary built in Munich cost several
hundred thousand dollars.
Germany is not wealthy nation,
ton necessary. Their doctors say the
spend thousands of dollars every year
to prevent any one being buried alive
shows that they consider the precau=
tion necessary. Their doctrs say the
shock to the solar plexus caused by,
a eunshot wound, a fall, blow from
a fist or club, or tired and hungry
person drinking a quantity of ice cold
water or beer may cause apparent
death that may last for days until the
system recovers from the shock and
reyives, and the person lives. The
same may also occur from weakness
caused by illness, especially during
epidemics.
They seem to think that American
customs are rather brutal. To bury
within two or three days does not
give the body time to recover and al
lowing all our undertakers at once
to inject 10 cents worth of embalm-
ing fluid into the body kills all chance
of its ever reviving. 1t would look
as if Americans were anxious to get
rid of their parents and grandparents,
for, of course, middle aged and old
people are much more liable than
young people to a state of suspended
animation.