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Dead Men Resuscitated

Dead Men Resuscitated image
Parent Issue
Day
13
Month
January
Year
1881
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

"Do the medica] men ever resusnitate ptíoplt; lio are apparently dead?" Tliis auestion was asked by a reporter for tbeStar oi Dr. John C. Bennett at tlie Beilevue Hospital College. Vfs, sir; siu'h i nstan ces have taken place, but they are exceedinglj rare," was the reply. "Will yon teil me whether anything of the kind has been done in this coll.-ge?" "Ves; i wil] give you all the Information in mr power, l do not suppose a single really dead person was ever níade to Uve, bul when there is the smallesi vital spark reuiaining it can sometimos be fanned into a llame." "Please relate a few instances." ■AIiiiiií flve years ago I was ealled tD ittend a sick man in Astoria. When I reacht-il liis bedside he as sinking ery rapidlv, and liad become so weafe that there was scarcely a perceptible to his heart, and his respiration ñus so faint that it jnst moved the down ol' a feather and that was all. Wel], the man to all appearances died. The undertaker was notifled to come and lav ln'ii 1, and 1 started for my lodgmgg in New i'ork. I had nol walkeil twenty röds from the inan's house uilen a little boy ramt running me wit li a message that the undertaker ranted me to return forthth, I made all liaste back, and the niideitaker met me at the door, exlaiining, 'My (ml! Do you want me tu iiepatf a living man for the grave y' asked what he rueant, and he told me luit üie supposed corpse was warm,and tliat in his opinión the man was not dead. 1 was incliued to believethat the undertnker had lost his senses; luit I inunediately examined my late patiënt. Sure I eiiuugh the body was warm." "What course did you pursue?" "I sent for Dr. Halsey, wlio at that .time resided in autoría and was the owner oí a smal] bul powerful electrie battery. Hecame bringing his batttey with liini: We applied the electricity to the corpse. It was in the winter linie, and there was a hot lire in a parlor Btove in llie house. We callad for s.iuie vvoolen llaikets, whirh were Iwought, and alter Tieating tliem upon tliestovewe wiapped them about the jiiitioit. We also chafed the patient's Jiaiais and feet. After a few minutes we held a before the supposed dead man's f ace, n hm tooui'gieai surjuise and joy there appeared tnoisture upon its siiiíace, a dewy tnoisture. which was causee) bj tfaeslight respiraí ion ïnnn the patiënt. Well, sir, to laakt' a long story short, I teil you tliat we worked all of that day and night, and the next day the undertaker was hifomit'dtliat there would beno funeral' jaid cpnsequently 110 need for lii.s ser ces." "Did the patieul enjin góod health aitferwardV" "Not very goud health. lic was urakly about i year, vhen lie died, aiwl this time he was so ci dead that thougiit it would Ik: useless to attempt to resuttcitate liim a second time." "ou Doctor, aaj'ou have given uie :i history of a case vvhere a man wss suppósed to have died a natural death and waa made to live agaiu, will you teil me about crimináis who have been hanged and then restored to Ilfe?" I have read of such cases, but never bad xiue come under mj own persona] knovk'ilu'" "Did tlic professors or studeiits of the Jiellevue Hospital Medical College ever bring ;i hanged murderer to lifeV" "ïfot within the last twenty-fiveyaaxs at least. I liase heard one of the old professors say that the body of a man iianicd Jacksoa, lm was hanged at 'frentón X. .1., in Iívíií, was brought ti STew York and given to the medical studente lor experimenting upon. The body was put into a box and taken to a room over a stable on Second avenue, where it was gubjected to all the methods known to nii'dical science i'or iniiising life into the supposed corpse." "Was the man broughi to life'i'. "Well, yes, and 110." ■'■ll,.;w was that?" ■1 wü! explain: YVhen the electrii'ity was 'iipiicd ii causcd the limacles .f Hin.ji :-t to contract, and hislinilw movd. T1m iloctoi-H tried artificial respiration, sncjj as is brought uto use for persons nho are nearly diowncd. They had au idea that they made him gasp two or three linies, but if' they did actually briug the man to life at all, he died agaiu right away. I believe that the skeleton of that murderer now occupies a riass case in the Anatómica] Museum connected vvith the Albany medical college." l)i-. Bennett invited the reporter to go witli Itnii to the (Hlsej House. u here several of his metlical fiiends were to take dinner. The gentlemen composing the party weie waiting in one of the parlors of the hotel. Dr. Bennett tóld the party that tin1 reporter was inquest of inforaiation about dead people being brought to life. )ne of the gentlemen who was introduced as ür. il. I). Sarle, said: "I eau teil you how an undertaker of my ocquaintance was once frightened alinost out ol' liis five sen.ses wlien he thaught he had brought a corpse to i i ie. The undertaker was called upon to prepare the body of an old gentleman who had died lor burial. The jioor old gentleman, who had suffered lerribly trom rhumatism, was bent in the form of a letter X. of coiirse it wuuld be Lmpossible to put the body n 8 coüin uuless it could hu struightentsd. So tlic undertaker put tin corpse apon a board aud tied a bandage about the knees oí' tlie corpse so as to draw them to the board. When the bandage was tied the effect as somëwliat startling. The old gentleman, wlio was supposed to be as dead as a door na il, actually sat up and looked at the undertaker right in tiie lace." Was that a case of resustication from death ?" "Xot exactly, bat the -undertaker would Qot have In-en inore frightened had the corpse actually come to life." Dr. Bennett said that he had read in a medical work about a man in I.ancaslrire, England, who was kicked on the hc.nl liy a horse, and, as the.doctors thpught, instantly killed. The supposed dead body was carried into a house in which there was no lire and laid out on a board. The weather was verv cold. Several young men and women, who volnnteered to act as watchers of the dead during tlie night, occupied an adjoining room to that m vvhich the supposed corpse had been placed. It was their duty to see that a wet cloth, placed on the face of the man, was changed once earh hour and kept well saturated witli a solution of saltpeter. Nothing uniisual took plaoe nntil towanl inorning, wlien pne of the young women, who enterea the appartnient where the luxly was placed to change tlie cloth, was heard to scream. Her associates ran in to see what was the matter. Slie was as jiale as a ghost and terribly frightened. 'What is the matter Y' inqulred onje of the gentleman. "Thedead man kas come ío Ufe," exclaimed sim pointing to the, supposed corpse; Sure enough, the man who was thought to be dead was alive. Ilis limbs were all of a tremble. Doctors were at once sent for. The patiënt was removed to a wui'in room and subjected to proper medical and surgical treatment. Within a ('ortnight lie wasable to leave bis becL "IIow do yon account forthe.suppos ( d ilcad man coming to íife?" inquirid the reporter of Dr. Bennett." "Well, in the lirst place, tlie man was not reully dead," was tlie reply. "He u?is n a coniatose condition. ïlie blow upon bis head from the horse's foot had deadeiicd all action of liis brain and nerves. The fact tliat lie as placed in a cold room nndonlitedly saved his life. The freezing atmosphere, in liis case, had a reviving effect. Ilis brain recovered from its aumbness and he received a new lease of life." Another case of resuscitation that tracted considerable attention f'voin tlie medical fratemity was that of a sailor n the United States Navey who feil overboard, and, singularlv eaoughfora seafaring inan,gvvas unalile to swiin, and was, to all appearanees, drowned. He as ftshed out of the water, and nis coinrades, believing that he was a corpse, wiapped liiiu in a blanket preparatory to the last rites for the dèad at sea. The surgeon of the ves.sel had an electric battery on board, and with t he gave the supposed dead man SèVeral snch sevre shocks that the "corpse" i-aine to life, and tlie chaplain sas saved thetrouble of readingthe funeral service.-

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat