GALVANISING A MURDERER'S CORPSE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6817, 22 September 1883, Page 2 (Supplement)

GALVANISING A MURDERER'S CORPSE.

Ukdeii the heading "Suspended Animation," the Yorkshire Post publishes a letter signed A. Allison, M.D., in which tho writer says : —When apparent death supervenes from strangulation, or noxious gases, a judiciously directed galvanic experiment will, if anything can, restore the activity of tho vital functions. This wonderful agent now take 3 its place among the ministers of health and life in cases of suspended animation. In extreme cases the surgeon will require to ceposs certain vital nerves, in order that the phrenic cord may bo acted upon by the lretallic conductors of the battery. If we place this risk of the operation in competition with the glory of success, the former will weigh as nothing with the intellectual, and humane. During my student life in Glasgow, before the passing of tho Anatomy Ac , :, several executed criminals were sent to the university within fifteen minutes from tho time of being cut down. On one Occasion the body of Clydeedale, the murderer, was subjected to a seriea of galvanic experiments, with a view to test their influence upon the brain and nervous system. Sevtral gentlemen there present concluded that but for the loss blood in removing the atlas vertebra, life might have been restored, as Murdoch failed to dislocate tho neck of his victim. Tho thief who suffered along with him was seized with violent convulsions, caused by fracture of the neck. From this we infer thnt the deep Marwood drop, of from Bft. to I4ft., with fracture of the neck, is a dosecration which ou«ht not to be tolerated. Tho exclusion of atmospheric air from the lungs, as in drowning and simple strangulation, is the proper line of practice in such 3aees. Tho narcotism produced by undecarbonised blood upon the blood points to an easier death than that produced by fracture or the redundant drop. Persons who have been rescued from drowning iu a etato of ■'ncipieut death describe the sonsation to be painless. At the risk of becoming sensational, I must revert to tho case of Clydesdale in illustration of the value of galvanism is cases of suspended animation. This murderer, while under galvanic excitatinn, roee up, rolled his eyes about, and struck at the bystanders and nearly overturned one of Dr, Ure'e assistants. During the galvanic ordeal full laborious breathing commenced, and was continuous with the electric discharges. Every musclo of the countenance was thrown into fearful action, and ghastly emilcs united their hideous expressions in the murderer's fnce—surpassing tho wildest expressions of an actor. He seemed to point to the different spectators, some of whom thought he had corne to life, and one gentleman fainted. The practical deduction in fa vonr of galvanism i 3 to utilise the force as a therapeutic Miners who are exposed to tho action of noxious gases, and persons who frequent bathing quarters, ought to have easy access to the action of galvanism as a means of saving life in cases of drowning or other oauses of asphyxia.