Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1914-08-20

Sign Of Death, the Artery Cpentna
and Fluores>e,n Tests Provide a Bar
Against Premature Burial,
When the doctor pronouuceS tbs
,satieut dead is he sure! And. II not
y hat tests can remove all doubtf rhl~
question, though not often spoken, is
probably present III the miuds "
friends aud relations NJ every dealt.
bed
rs death is the worst Of all disasters
aud no mistake could hc more aWlt,,
than premature burial, 1t is not merely
interesting. but important, for people
~ know what tests are conclusive ANA
what are not.
When the breathing stops and NJ
sound OF heart beat or pulse can I've dr
setted there is little doubt Of deatb
But the little doubt Is In itself SO dreaG
full that these common signs are uei
enough II the body grows SLOWLY
hut steadily cool the doubt is lcSScucd
but 10y no means removed. Nor is IL
sign Of life If after dropping the tenn
perature 1t suddenly rises again.
The placing OF a mirror In front OF
the mouth and noStrils is well known
test The theory Is that even the faint
est breath will dim the mirror THIS
test ~ not only worthless but likely
e. cause false hopes Gases generated
In the body very frequently issue FROM
the mouth and form mist upon the
mirror
Steel needles are sometimes thrust
into the muscles for n period OF mn
hour and then examined, II the per
son is alive the Oxygen OF the blood
should rust the needle. II dead should
not. This test in actual practice Is
unreliable, and no fpith can he placed
in It.
Another cause of false hopes Is the
custom OF placing glass Of water
filed to the edge on the breast The
slightest movement Of the lungs viii
cause II drop TO spill This, too, Is
valucless because after death there
are invariably certain movements OF
the muscles known rs "cadaycrt
spasms," which are often energetic
enough to spin the water
Probably one of the most infalltbe
tests is the opening Of nm artery, In
life the arteries are full of blood I'm
der pressure In death the arteries
drain into the veins This Is Il very
fortunate fact, MS II prevents the IN
dertaker from making any mistake,
The embalming nuid Is injected by
opening I'm artery. Should blood flow
he knows that life still persists and Is
warned in time
Cutting the skin to see II blood wit
flow from the veins proves nothing. ns
It often flows MS late as three days
after death,
The y ray. when 1t Is available. pro.
Nides IN excellent proof of death, \
photograph OF II live being shows the
heart with blurred outline This Is
caused by even the fnintcst movements
Of the organ An \ ray exposure Of
dead person reveals the heart clear
cut and sharp.
There are numbcrless so called tests
OF the eye. It's shrinkage In size. the
dlmming md Jogging OF the trans,
parent part ana other signs These
signs are not sufficient proof. nor, IL
the test OF flashing bright light In
the eye to see If the pupil contracts
Even atropine dropped on the eye
ball brings no evidence II has been
proved that the drug will dilate the
eye some time after death.
Many persons think electricity ap
piled In the form OF shocks IL test
1t is of no avail, as the muscles usually
respond to the current for three hours
or more after death
Proof beyond question Is supplied
when the stiffening known as "rigor
morris" sets In. llystera. catnlcpsy
and other states often simulate that
stiffness. Rlgor mortis begins In one
part OF the body. usually the muscles
OF the throat, and gradually extends
throughout the body, while the various
living forms OF muscle stiffness come
on instantly and belong 10 all the
muscles
The ~ called "dinphanous'' test Is
unreliable, II you hold your hand
close to candle or other bright light
the fingers show n certain rosy trans
lucency the bones appearing as dim
shadows. After death the fingers
usually become ns Opaque as II made
of marble. But exceptions are FIRE
quent enough TO make the test worth
less
A harmless but very powerful dye
called nuoresccin will settle all doubts
very quickly IT a hypodermic syringe
Is used to inject n little Of this dye
under the skin II has no result on
dead person But II this be done 10
one in whom there IS the slightest trac"
OF circulation there follows ut once an
unmistnkable and startling result. The
entire skin becomes golden yellow
and the whites OF the eyes turn IN
emerald green The effects pass away
soon after the pulse and breathing
are restored This and the test Of open