PREMATURE BURIAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 616, 20 September 1909, Page 9

PREMATURE BURIAL.

■ : -» , _. - - - , - THREE STARTLING'CASES. . EVIDENCE AT HOME OFFICE COMMITtEE. Epmarkable statements on the subject of the revival of persons supposed to be dead were made by Dr. Walter Hadwen, vice-president of the Association for tho Prevention of Premature Burial, in evidence'.before the Home Office Committee on Coroners and Coroners' Law.

-Three cases ho specifically referred to. All of these occurred in his own experience, and Bβ told the oommittee ho mentioned them because they were entered in tho book ho had then with him,' and he could furnish the exact facts." . .. ■ . J'irst he reforred to a girl, aged 17, who in 1805 was suffering from catalepsy after hiving spent practically the wholo ; of the previous day listening to mueic- or singing in special services in Wells-Cathedral. , ' ■ - ( _"On arrival at the houso," said Dr. Hadwen, I was informed by the.weeping relatives that J y/ too late-she was (load. Tho poor girl :had fallen in a swoon, while sitting in a chair, 6opn after her arrival homo, and though every effort had been made to rouse her, they all proved ineffectual; even then I heard her distracted friends shouting her name in her earsivithout effect. ...... . . - ' . .

.-■'■ l. had lifted the wriet from the bed in order to. examine the pulse, and was struck by thofact that upon,releasing it the forearm remained ; susnended, and continued in a state of .suspension for some oonsideratyo'tiino. I then put other limbs in. various positions', placed tno body in absurd postures, when, to the amazement .of the. onlookers, such ''positions were maintained, and apparently would have been maintained indefinitely. At the close of tho sixth day I notioeda slight sign of consciousness; I told her to sit up, and she did Bβ. and opened her eyes vacantly." ; ; v In reply to questions, Dr. Hadweh siid-.-Hore was ) a casein which she was supposed tp-be dead by the friends, and they could .maKe-no impression whatever upon her" He emphasised the need for tv doctor Meing the body after death before giving a certificate. 'i. : .?« r - w ad, K P rocee(l «d ,-to,narrate, a second case. -He had been: attending for some time. a ¥ "'..T ego, , a three-ywr-old child ,wno;had sulfered from.oonvulsion6, followed by exhaustion.. . ■ . ' .: , ■. ' ;! "Jhero , teomed,". he said, "no: hope of re fTO and;l.loft my little-patient one night fully.believing I had soon him for the last time alivo. : , Iwas late on my country rounds nest iay, and;when I arrived at the'cottago I.noticed.the,blinds were drawn, and; iipon pntenng, my ; eyes afonco fell upon a couch pushed mto a,corner of tlio:room, and cbvered by : a :v.-hito sheet, whilst the broien-hoarted parents: were; weeping by the settle, - „. I'.raf , d <"w .tao;tried tb comfort them, and fina ly left direcbdnsas to the hour whon thoy mißht send for the death- certificate. ' '' '■Before leaving -I- walked towards the couch, and drow back, the covering from the pale waxen face. Thojawwas fastened by a band in the usual way, cbppors had been placed J" 1 * fo. 0 . oyebis, and e(l was'in readiness for the shell, which tho undertaker was expected totanff in a few minutes. As I stood looking Intently at the cihild I: fancied I detected tho .slightest movement of tho ohest, It could but be imagination, I-thought! nevertheless I felt for'thS wrist, but foiled to , detect any pulso. ... Still.. I'Wfttohod—thore -again ' was that tremor, r applied my stethoscopo to the region of the; heart without Tesponso; butteling dissatisfied.: I undid the nightdress and applied the , instrument to. tho bare-skin. I' could hardly", belidvo; ray ears—there waa undoubtedly a:beatr I shall never:forget the shriek which the mother gave when I said: 'Mrs. W—, your.child is not deadl' I at once , applied hot flannejs -to the feet, and gently, massaged tho body.for tw» or; three hours; and Had the satisfaction bofore I left—long after the undertaker had, como and Bone—of:seeing tho child' -taking- nourishment in- its'■ mothqr's arras. 1 '.He isinowa-finc; .strpngi.healtny la'd.'-Tliat-'bpy was; ia (31offcester ; 'enly' : lastweek','^-" v . » r - -'■'■■:';. : !■■ Dr.". Had\ven ;■ was' then v ;"q'tiostipnod''' by:' 7J Uf> lWUIcox, ; a member" , of the 1 committee:,; ,r '': .• '■''

like to ask you one or two questions; On applying the .stothoscopo to-.the "baro skin you.heard,'the. heart beatr—Yes. •■■:■'.."■•■ .-; -That is not , a sigh of death?—Of;course notj but.etjll I conld not , hear icon thofirst bccasion.iand it'was-only with the greatest caro, because I fancied I sawthis slighVmovement.: Now. here comes the , point. I left that 'childi"- believing it would , 'be"'dead:in tho morning., 'It was only L by tho.merest-accident,'.™ '.W.6poakvthSt r 'l.tiirnSa^ l -Ha'J,4 s perso'n''como .and told m 6! it'was dead and-I'had not Beon it; Imigiithavcgivpn a certificate of death. t. Th? ■ chairman of,.tho committee: A carcloas doctor' might'have' , given a ■ certificate?— Yes.-'• ';Tho third "case , cited by Dr. Hadwoh was as fpllows:—7 ■-:/:, ■■■■• ■■-■■ '•-... ,: .'■';:• '. '' .

;.■ '1 remember a:casfc of-smallpox, .wKioh I was ablo to verify,'which caused: eomo eonsation 1 ttt ; tho timo,' , occurring during the Gloucester 'smallpox epidemic/ in ' the early part' of 1895. A" child, believed, to:,bo dead of vcimfluent scnallpoxi wae' removed from ono of the smallpox hospital 'irarde' to the mortuary,'and next an attendant'-• pawing by board -a -child 'crying, and gave warning to one of the nurses. Tho. little one' was.promptly carried .back-to 'the ward and recovered.- . .-'• ■ -~'■' '■'•■, • (Dr. , , Willcoi:'-'.You do notknpV in.this case ijrhethor tho' faot of"death : had been .fieirtified :by ?r-F should"think M! It-\Vas in 1 IhdspltaLv^'^: , -' pU^i*-K -'V' in But' -surely, , -in 'a" hospital '-it. 'lsTvery' "'tfustir-; •miry '■'for a dead body, to be"removed to the mortuary "without tho doctor , , seeing it ?c~It: je avery serious, thing if it is so, and there is aUtho more roaEon for a-professional verifier.'

•: pat I ask you, ■ from your own experience, ■do not 'yon 'think it is very likely that in hoe-' -pitalis sofflO' bodies ; aro takeh.away without ithe.:medical- attendant; satisfying himself , that the body ie dead p—l should think 1 it is very 'likely, that, such'might bo' jthe case, . ..' ■. i ;■ Tho chairman:, particularly in an' epidemic? :-^Tes,. quite .'true, '.:'.::':'■",.■ .r , ; ' ;.••-. ;-. Dr. Willopi: So that in this oase:;you'cannot ; BftY that'a-skilled ■ I moilical. man made ,a miaii'afeP—l could ..not say. that, of course,' I did •not'-'know.that.,.. I simply .went straight:to. tho -'hospital,': and made inquiries of the nurse, and. ■I found that it was tho eardener' who went' iby the window and hoard this , child crying in : the mortuary and ran back and toldthenurje, 'and-I saw tho nurse herself,'. Th«yi6mothefed 'it lip. , '■': ■'■'■ '"■ ■'. - ! - ;VV ';' '.■■ . '■;',.■ ;• ■ ..'.'..' , Do you think it is very easy.for-suoh'. a. thing-to : happen?— Yes. •'■ ■-.:.,' . iVv-..', ''■, ■";'.'. Prof essor, Pepper's View.. ■Qri.itho other hand, the.. evidence at the famous Home Office !expert, Sir. A... J. : Pepper, was to the effect that burial alivo was. very infrequent.-'ifinot.-unknown.,. The chairman of the committee putliiui this question: Take tho oosV.pf' ft•,'poison-"whose' symptoma. simulate death 1 , after great loss of blood that person were buried, he would not recover consciousness,'l. suppose?. ■ : , '■:■ ~ ■ . .-,. • v Mr. (Popper: Tho?e. cases of revival in coffins, of. course,, aro purdy mytlii'cal.. . ■"-■■'■■ -Are -,there, auyv possible cases where you might'have'-a movemont- of. the corp'so, a m,us-s cniar movement- after death?—lt.may, happen. ?That may give . riee to the idea of burial alive.p-rCertdinly, that .is quite possible.. ..... Could you'have any muscular,'.movement whioh'.miofht produce .sound in tbe' ooffln?— J do not think so.;-: "«.;■':■■'. , . ,-,■ ■.. ■■ ■ It is not: a. possibility?—l believe not.' :.: