RAISING THE DEAD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6113, 29 September 1880, Page 6

RAISING THE DEAD.

(Amtricnn Pujwr.)

After tho execution of Henry J. Redemeir at Bfc Louis, the body was handed over to tho friends of the felon. A reporter for the Post Dispatch claims that tho corpse found its way into a medical college, and was experimented upon by the physicians. After describing the appearance of the body, and tho preparation for resuscitation, tho phenomenally truthful reporter continues: “There is only one way in which an experiment of this kind can be successfully performed,” said Dr Falkland, " and that is to begin logically ot tho beginning. I saw a similar operation performed at Vienna when I was a student, only tho man had unfortunately boon beheaded, and hence wo could not bring tho success as far as I hope to push this. Now, gentlemen,” and tho doctor look tho position which the lecturer invariably assumes, "you will agree with mo that there is only one way to go about this Work, and fortunately the dissection made this evening saves us much work.” So saying ho passed his knife quickly across tho abdomen, exposing tho stomach, and following the knife came crepitation, which every one has soon in newly killed moat in a slaughter house. “ Why don’t you begin at tho brain, doctor ? ” queried the scribe. “ Because tho stomach and its appendages survive the rest of the body for many hours. Tho wavy motion of tho threadlike papilla) does not cease sometimes for days after death. I have myself soon them moving 48 hours after tho pulse had stopped. You see the idea is to begin here, where life still remains, and work back, and where motion and heat are, there life is, my boy. Look at this!” and cutting open a part of the mysterious laboratory of nature lying before the group, the doctor showed the wavy undulation of the filaments, tho papilla) working as industriously as though tho body about them was not dead, purveying food for a frame which could not assimilate it, A gentle current of electricity was passed through tho muscles of the stomach, and as the work wont forward the effect could almost immediately bo seen. Of course the fibres twitched nervously to and fro, as any piece of flesh would under the influence of electricity, but there was more than this —tho twitching® in a few moments became rhythmic, and as the proper points were alternately touched tho whole stomach at last began its usual churning motion, and this much of the felon’s body was as fully alive as it had ever boon. They have spoiled tho brain in their dissection this afternoon,” said Dr Falkland, “and hence we will have to detatch a couple of colls and make a separate brain for each part of the body which we wish to bring back to life.” The wires from two cells wore accordingly bent into tho tendons of the stomach, and the action, as the galvanic current boded out of tho rotting zinc, became as human and as alive as it ever was. Tho next attack by the physicians was upon tho spinal cord, which had been broken, on the. end of the rope in tho morning, as the doctor remarked that there was no use in attempting to do anything with the heart, because the other physicians had injected foreign matter into the veins and arteries, and so put the return of the circulation out of the question. The current up and down tho spinal cord was begun with a small amount of electricity, and gradually increased until the whole thirtyeight cups left in the battery were distilling their occult influences into it before manifestations became in any way remarkable. At last, however, the senseless twitchings stopped along the line of the cord itself, and the body began to warm, the hands and feet lost their stiffness and began moving easily and like a person in slumber, and it became very evident that at this point the nervous system outside of the great ganglion, the brain itself, were fully restored to feeling and being. That this was the fact could be easily seen by the wonderful motions of the hands ; they clasped the chest as though feeling pain there, and thrusting the point of a lancet into the sole of the foot caused that member to be drawn suddenly upward and away from the hurt.

The process thus went on, the lungs being the next care of the physicians until the body was fully restored to animation with the exception of the upper part of the brain—the cerebrum, the intellectual portion of the man. This was, however, but a very small part of tho make-up of Redemier, the lower brain being very much larger in proportion than it would have been in an ordinary citizen. The whole battery was let remain at its Godlike work for some twenty minutes, so that the body might become permeated, soaked with the life fluid, and during this rest one had an opportunity to calmly survey tho violated sanctuary on the table. The skull cup had been replaced upon the restored brain, and ths cut around the head was bound with a handkerchief, so that the face looked more like headache than like death. The eyes, which had always seemed living, were now sparkling under the gaslight, and the lids now and then closed over them, the grip of the set teeth against each other had relaxed, and the breath was coming stertorously and painfully between them. The open chest displayed the workings of tho lungs and the stomach, but tho dead, silent heart gave no throb ; it wis a fictitious life that would fade out when the battery was removed, but while it lasted it was queer. The fact that Redemeir had J died in tho full glow of health and that this had not quite passed away, made the experiment seem more like an awakening than a resurrection, and took away the horrible and ghoul-like effect which it would otherwise have had.

At last Dr Falkland removed all the cups that could be spared from the rest of the body and concentrated them upon the brain, two small magnetic batteries were added to the sedge, and tho utmost possible amount of electricity was poured into the mutilated cerebum. This had not been done for more than twelve seconds when the body of the dead man wildly started to a sitting posture, throwing all the wires out of gear and necessitating a complete rearrangement, when he sank back upon the table; every detail was now fixed, however, so that no movement on tho corpse’s part could get rid of the electric conduits, and in a few minutes a very distinct cough testified that life was returning. The eyes wore staring straight at the ceiling, but they had the look of intelligence, and two or three efforts wore made to clear tho throat of phlegm. Bcclomoir then turned upon his side, and raising himself upon his elbow, looked around. The effort was too much for him, and ho fell back heavily. He rallied almost at once, and again lifting himself, looked straight into Dr Falkland’s eyes. With his other hand he clutched at his throat and at once reeled down in a fit of coughing. Fully an hour was thus passed in successive attempts, each one stronger and firmer than its predecessor, until tho dead or rather the living felon at last gasped out, “ It is yet night—-it is not time —go away and lot mo sleep till- " “ Can you hear what I say, Redemeir ?” said tho reporter, breathlessly. The eyes turned toward the speaker, and tho culprit said: “ Why do you come hero ? Can’t I sleep my lost night through ? I dreamed that I was—. Oh, God ? Whot i time is it P ”

" The honging is passed and and time has ceased for you; you are dead,’ said Dr Reber.

Redemeir turned toward the doctor gloomily and looked at him, as ho had looked at tho othore, in tho eye: “ More spooks—they come each night. My God! My God ! What a dream I had ! ” Turning to tho reporter he said : " Am I dreaming now ?" and when the reporter assured him that ho was not ho began to ramble on about his dream. “ I thought the time had come,” ho said. “ They tied me up, and wjion I told them I was bound too tight they would nob heed mo j tho-o was a crowd and a gallows, and the priest quarrelled about mo, put out the sun and then I dropped dropped—dropped ! " , , , The eyes closed, tho dead man lay back again, and it was only shock after snook or the battery that returned him to feeling. " In your dream, Redemeir,” said Dr Falkland, “ did you feel any pain P” “Pain? No, I just fell for miles and miles. I suppose I was falling > nt ® * What difference doee it make —don t bother

mo—lot mo sleep this morning—they are going to hang mo in tho morning.” Tho wires wore at lost removed, and tho dead man became again dead, and after the lights wore put out ond tho party reached Eleventh street and turned north toward their homes, 11 You wouldn’t think, now,” said Dr Falkland, •' that rotting sine would distil mind P and yot that (load felon was almost as fully alive os yon or I. I toll you a man is not dead until he is scattered to tho four winds of heaven. As long as two atoms of his body hold together, some of the vital force is still sleeping in them.”