BABY ALIVE IN COFFIN

Hokitika Guardian, 26 November 1929, Page 5

BABY ALIVE IN COFFIN

UNDERTAKER’S DISCOVERY. | A startling discovery was made by a Surrey undertaker recently, when'he found a live baby in, a coffin which was about to be screwed down in his mortuary preparatory to burial (states an English paper). j The .child, which was six days old, was taken to the undertaker’s mortuary, having, been certified dead by the doctor. Tiie child was accordingly carefully wrapped in burial clothes and placed in a small coffin in the mortuary. . The burial- had: been arranged, Ijut when tile men went to screw down the lid one of them heard a taint cry from inside, the folds pf a the burial clothes. < r-V.

. The undertaker was summoned immediately, and the clothes off the baby, which was found to be very much alive and breathing strongly. On the child being discovered alive, the undertaker at once communicated lyitlr the parents, the doctor, and the registrar. \ The baby, it is stated, remained .alive for several hours, subsequent to being taken from the coffin, but passed away later on. in)’the saffie day. It was impossible to bury .the child on the existing death certificate, howev.er, which, gave the. wrong date (of •; death, and accordingly the, facts Were :• communicated to the coroner.,-j fle . ordered a post-iriorteni 'examination,, and on the result of that examination - he deemed an ihquest-unnecessary.'TTie - child was one of tn’insTiom prenfatUKe-r ly, and neither df the children coiikl • have lived very long in normal circum- ! stances. The other Child had died t\vp, 2 days previously. An explanation of 1 ' the child’s revival after having been thought to be dead may be found in the fact that it was wrapped in cotton wool, and the warmth would have a natural tendency to-wards resuscitation.