Antoine Wiertz Interment precipitated oil on canvas, 1854,
Wiertz Museum, Brussels.
"Some diseases can lead to a state [...] in which the feeling and movement is suspended, you might think to death this state is known as the apparent death: it can be caused by stroke, by intoxication, in ecstasy, for epilepsy , catalepsy, hysteria, fainting, choking, freezing, tetanus, and some serious injuries. The importance of distinguishing this apparent death of reality, is sufficiently proved by quite a few examples of alleged buried dead and buried before their actual deaths. To avoid the danger of premature burial, it is necessary to know the signs of real death. Characters with which it was said to ensure the deaths are many and they are far from offering all the same certainty. [...]
... it seems worthwhile to indicate how one should behave with a person supposed dead, and to insist on precautions to take when is believed to have just expired, to facilitate the return to life if she was fainted. When a patient comes apparently his last breath, using, in many families, is to close his eyes and mouth, her nostrils closer, bringing together members of her trunk, often cover his the figure of a sheet, then remove it from the bed to drop down on a board or straw. These customs, transmitted by tradition, which exist in many provinces, can not be blamed too, in case the patient would fainted, they result in some speed death. When in the absence of respiration, circulation and movement, we believe that a patient may have just expired, he must try to revive him by making him inhale vinegar, cologne or Melissa, rubbing his temples and his hands with the same aromatic waters, trying to make him swallow a few drops of liquor exciting by applying mustard plasters. At the same time we must have recourse to moral incentives by calling the patient by name, making him hear the name or rather the voice of a beloved person, naming things we know him to be pleasant. [...] Finally, the duty of those present at the death of one of their fellows, is to ensure the strict enforcement of regulations relating to the finding of death [...].
We saw what difficulties we may have to pronounce positively on the state of death of an individual's private knowledge: facing these difficulties, the authority a great duty to perform is that of ensuring the recognition of death, and prevent that, without sufficient evidence, we can not bury people who could be recalled to life. To this end, every civilized nation has established legislative precautions, different in some points, however, are similar in that they all require a fairly long time interval between the time of death and of burial. In France, according to Article 77 of the Civil Code , burial can take place only twenty-four hours after death, the legislators thought that term was sufficient to than where death was certain, if, after its expiration, no phenomenon of vitality had not appeared. However, as the aforementioned article of the code only says that we can not bury the next twenty four hours, it is clear from this provision of administrative measures a little different in a few cities in France. In Paris, we buried twenty-four hours after the declaration of death. In Strasbourg, four doctors appointed by the mayor verify the death and determine the time of burial. In Tours, the burial may take place only twenty-four hours after the statutory audit of death. In Saxony, in Prussia, the burial place was that seventy-two hours in Vienna, Salzburg and forty-eight hours after death. These words seem a bit long, and usually that of twenty-four hours is good enough, but he does not often that this provision of the law is evaded? To get rid of the body faster, do we not know that families are sometimes indifferent misrepresentation by advancing the time of death, and so that individuals may be buried fifteen or eighteen hours after death . We oppose this easy to fraud, by not doing the run twenty-four hours that from the time of reporting. On the other hand, in times of epidemic, when there is a high mortality and there are fears the infection caused by the large number of corpses, there is a rush to bring them to their final resting place, often without the precautions current in ordinary times to ensure the reality of death.
The time required between the time of death and funeral, did not seem enough for everyone to prevent any hasty burial, for greater security, was also proposes the establishment of funeral homes where the corpses were kept for several days before being returned to the land. In this way one would expect the onset of putrefaction, and we would be sure to bury the dead. Similar homes are established in some German states, and several people, including Necker in 1792, out seriously proposed to found in France in the cemeteries. But while recognizing the benefits of these institutions to avoid burying the living, we can not prevent them from reporting problems. How to maintain a useful monitoring in these houses where the scarcity of a resurrection numb constantly zealous guardians ? These houses will not they also places of infection that He will take away from any habitation, and in which we can not allow the public entrance? How to overcome the scruples, so families who often do not consent to separate from the body of a loved parent, only if they can go cry on his grave? And besides, in the interest of the alleged deceased if the death was apparent, would it not more likely to recall to life, by leaving his home, surrounded by his family that monitor the slightest sign of life, and hasten to give them the necessary assistance, in the cold and the exponent the fatigue of a journey is often long, and by engaging in mercenary hands who would think to help him in a very clear case?
We never finish if we wanted to list all the proposals that were made in order to prevent being buried alive. Thus it was proposed to attach bells to fingers and toes of corpses, so that at least one movement could be warned, do fill the pits for a few days after the bodies were deposited there, and leave a small opening in the portion of the coffin that is the opposite, so that everyone could understand passing the slightest sign of life, or not cover beer superiorly by a mobile web, which would not prevent the supposed death of stand, etc..
In most cities in France, it makes up for all these precautions by an audit of deaths by one or more physicians appointed for this purpose by the municipal authority, and at the end of the period fixed by law; burial can not be made until after the official confirmation of death. This measurement is usually sufficient, and it is extremely rare to hear in the cities of alleged dead back to life in time of the funeral, but in the countryside people are buried without the death was confirmed by one skilled in the art, often before the deadline prescribed by law. Are we really not entitled to have the sad thought that we should wear earth people who could be recalled to life, if we consider the ignorance and superstition of the inhabitants of certain regions where the death is only seen by some parents regard as a person who died does not move nor breathe, and who are eager to bring in the blessed land of the cemetery, their superstitious ideas persuading the soul of the deceased is deprived of rest until his body be buried, or who, frightened by a deadly epidemic, do not leave even a body they look cool as a hotbed of contagion? So it is in the countryside What occurs most often these resurrections that newspapers bring us the stories from time to time. It is on this point, in legislation, a gap that would be important to fill.
While approving the precautions practiced in cities, let us hasten to say however that they would be more effective if the finding of death was made by the doctor who treated the patient, by supplementing it with, if found suitable, another doctor delegated by the Authority; better than any other, the ordinary doctor could judge the reality of death, not only by searching the current signs, but recognizing the circumstances that preceded the death and that made it more or less likely. In the case where the kind of disease would make the death suspicious, what can we best judge of the necessity of having to be made to delay the burial? What benefits would get it not also the measure for the statistical statements about the nature of the disease and complications that could make it deadly, statements that are made today based on documents provided mostly by servants or uninformed, and are so inaccurate, you can watch as all the false findings we wanted to shoot.
therefore call for all our wishes, in the interest of humanity, a legislative provision is mandatory on all parts of France, would establish that no burial could not be made until twenty-four hours after the declaration of death by the doctor who treated the patient, statement, describing the nature and duration of illness, its very cause, finds that there is sufficient evidence to rule on death. In cities and in localities where there are several doctors, the patient's regular doctor should always be accompanied by another man's art delegated by the municipal authority. In times of epidemic, if public safety could be compromised by spending too long of a large number of corpses in the houses, the period of twenty-four hours could be shortened, but the interment would still be that after the permission of doctors. We believe that such a law, strictly enforced in cities and rural areas, would almost impossible hasty burials, already very rare today. "
A. Hardy (medical doctor, physician of Paris Hospitals), usual medical dictionary for use by people in the world , vol. 2, Paris, Didier, 1849.
0 comments:
Post a Comment