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In cases of apparent death, an APOPLEXY indeed may fometimes occur, not as a certain confequence, but as an accidental circumftance. Thus in HANGING, if the perfon fhall leap from an height to accelerate his death, it may produce a diflocation of the vertebræ of the neck, or an extravasation of the brain. Thus in DROWNING, if the person shall have fallen from any height, and receive a contufion on the head, and yet after all life be reftored, it is no wonder if PALSY fupervenes, a circumstance, however, by no means frequent in other cafes of restoration from apparent death.

In a word, the TWO CASES, upon the first view of things, appear to be totally different, and to require a very different mode of treatment.

In the latter, copious bleeding affords the principal relief; in the former, it generally proves highly injurious *.

In March 1781, the MEDICAL COMMITTEE entered their Caveat against the use of the lancet. And Dr. HAWES wifely admonishes, that it fhould never under fuch circumftances be ventured upon, except in habits highly plethoric, or where fome contufion has been received,

-Si Pergama dextra

defendi poffent, etiam hac defenfa fuiffent.

VIRG.

Vide Mr. KITE's laboured Effay on the Recovery of Perfons apparently drowned, to which was given the filver medal.

PROPTER eruditam DISSERTATIONEM DE RESUSCITATIONE.

The

The wind-pipe of a dog, fays a very acute and ingenious experimentalift, Mr. COLEMAN, was fecured by a ligature at the inftant of infpiration; in lefs than four minutes he ceafed to ftruggle. Here there was no obftruction to the paffage of the blood through the lungs, and no accumulation was found in his head; yet he died in this fhort space of time.

We next fecured, fays he, the two carotids* of a dog (which we know, from the experiments of M. EMETTUS and Mr. KITE, may be done without materially injuring the functions of the animal). In half an hour after this operation he was hanged. In less than four minutes he ceased to move. The veffels of the brain, upon accurate inspection, were much lefs diftended than in ordinary death. Here the principal supply being cut off, instead of the veffels of the brain being in a state of congestion, they contained a much less quantity of blood than natural, and confequently no fpecies of APOPLEXY could follow from diftention, and yet this animal died as foon as others which had undergone no fuch operation †.

* Vide the Map of the Heart, Vol. I.

+ Vide Mr. COLEMAN's excellent Differtation on Sufpended Respiration, a work replete with ingenious experiments, and honoured with the gold medal.

The following experiment, which was made by that eminent anatomift and teacher at Edinburgh, Profeffor MUNRO, is, we think, decifive on this head.

A dog was fufpended by the neck with a cord; an opening having been previously made in the wind-pipe below the cord, So as to admit air into the lungs. In this ftate, he was allowed to hang three quarters of an hour, during which time the circulation and breathing went on without being much interrupted by the experiment. The cord being now shifted below the opening into the wind-pipe, fo as to intercept the ingress of air into the lungs, the animal was completely dead in a few minutes.

Now, admitting these facts, is not the conclufion obvious, viz. that in cafes even of HANGING, death is not occafioned by a CONGESTION OF BLOOD in the brain; but from the want of the VITAL PRINCIPLE in the blood?

For the Plan of Treatment we must therefore refer the reader to what has been faid in SECTION XLVIII. ON ASPHYXIA FROM DROWNING.

SECT.

SECT. LI.

OF ASPHYXIA FROM MENTAL AGITATION.

-Ubi vehementi magis eft percuffa metu mens,
concentire animam totam per membra videmus ;
fudores itaque, et pallorem exiftere toto
corpore, et infringi linguam, vocemque aboriri,
caligare oculos, fonere aures, fuccidere artus.

LUCRETIUS.

IN exceffive fright the eyes for a moment flash fire; the hair becomes electric and stands erect; the heart palpitates; the body is thrown into the attitude for escaping; but the danger being inevitable, cold fweats fucceed; the hair of the body droops; the eyes become dim, and as it were femipellucid; the furface flaccid, cold, and pale; and the perfon finks down inanimate.

Admitting the analogy, if not perfect identity betwixt the nervous fluid and that of electricity*, we can account

for

* Sir ISAAC NEWTON, at the end of his Principiæ, has the following Query. "Is not all fenfation performed, and the limbs of animals moved, in " a voluntary manner by the power of a certain fubtle fluid, resembling "ELECTRICITY, which we will call ether, i. e. by the vibratory motion "of this fpirit,-propagated along the nerves from the external organs of the

" fenfes

for one part of the appearances. Upon what other principle can we explain the power that can make

the knotty and combined locks ftand an end

like quills upon the fretful porcupine?

Whence otherwife fhall we account for those fiery scintillations of the eye frit excited upon a sudden alarm ? And whence that fucceeding dimness, when the hairs of the body fubfide, and the limbs fink down powerless?

The phænomena of blood-letting will ferve us to explain the other symptoms. I bled, fays Mr. HUNTER, a lady whofe blood at first was of a dark colour; but she fainted, and while fhe continued in the fit, the colour of the blood that came from the vein was of a bright fear

fenfes To the BRAIN; and FROM the BRAIN into the muscles." "If a "man in the dark," continues Sir ISAAC NEWTON, "preffes against the ❝ corner of his eye, or receives a blow, as he turns away his eye hastily from "the injury, he will perceive a circle of colours, or a flash of light, and this

appearance will continue about a second of time." Vide his OPTICS, Qu. 16. It was before obferved, that if a plate of zinc be placed between the gums and upper lip, and a plate of gold be brought into contact with the zinc, a fimilar flash of fire will be perceived; and if this experiment be tried on the tongue an acid taste will be experienced fimilar to that of the electric aura. Vide VOL. I. p. 116; alfo VOL. IV. the Section on the Brain.

When we are in the dark, fays the eloquent BURKE, in his Effay on the Sublime and Beautiful, there is a continual endeavour of the pupil to receive light. Hence arife those flashes and luminous appearances, which often feein in these circumstances to play before it, and which can be nothing but the effect produced by the nervous fibres in their efforts to obtain its proper object of

vilion.

VOL. III.

4 L

let.

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