1036 OF DEATH. 



scribed by Dr. George Cheyne, 1 who was himself the witness of the fact. 

 But statements have been recently made respecting the performances of cer- 

 tain Indian Fakeers, which are far more extraordinary; it being demon- 

 strated, if these assertions are to be credited, 2 that the Human organism 

 may not only be voluntarily reduced to a state resembling profound col- 

 lapse, in which there appears to be nearly a complete suspension of all its 

 vital operations, but may continue in that condition for some days or even 

 weeks, until, in fact, means are taken to produce resuscitation. Another 

 form of apparent death, the existence of which appears to be well authen- 

 ticated, is that sometimes designated as " Trance" or " Catalepsy," in which 

 there is a reduction of all the Organic Functions to an extremely low ebb, 

 but in which consciousness is still preserved, whilst the power of voluntary 

 movement is suspended ; so that the patient, though fully aware of all that 

 is being said and clone around, is unable to make the least visible or audible 

 sign of life. 3 It is impossible, in the present state of our knowledge, to give 

 any satisfactory account of these states ; but some light appears to be thrown 

 upon them by certain phenomena of artificial somnambulism, "hypnotic" or 

 "mesmeric" ( 586); for in this condition, there is sometimes an extraordi- 

 nary retardation of the respiratory movements and of the pulsations of the 

 heart, which if carried further, would produce a state of complete collapse; 

 and its self-induction is suspected by Mr. Braid to be the secret of the per- 

 formance of the Indian Fakeers just referred to. 



887. The signs by which real is certainly distinguishable from apparent 

 Death are not numerous, a large proportion of those commonly relied on 

 being fallacious; bat they are conclusive. In the first place, it is to be re- 

 marked that no reliance is to be placed, for the reasons already mentioned, 

 upon the apparent cessation of the Heart's action and of the Respiratory 

 movements ; since the reduction of these to so low a condition that they are 

 no longer distinguishable, is by no means incompatible with the persistence 

 of vitality. It has been suggested, however, that the persistence of the 

 circulation in its feeblest degree may be rendered manifest by the applica- 

 tion of a ligature to a finger, which will become swollen on the distal side if 



1 See his Treatise on Nervous Diseases, p. 307. 



'-' See a collection of these cases, directly obtained from British officers who had 

 been eye-witnesses of them in India, by Mr'. Braid, in his Observations on Trailer, or 

 Human Hibernation, 1850. In'one of these, vouched for by Sir Claude M. Wade 

 (formerly political agent at the Court of Runjoet Singh), the Fakeer was buried in an 

 underground cell, under strict guardianship, for six weeks; the body had been twice 

 dug up by Runjei-t Singh during the period of interment, and had been found in the 

 sume position as when first buried. In another case, narrated by Lieut. Boileau in liis 

 Narrative of a Journey in Raj warm, in 1835, the man had been buried for ten days 

 in a grave lined with masonry and covered with large slabs of stone, and strictly 

 guarded ; and he assured Lieut. Boileau that he was ready to submit to an interment of 

 a twelvemonth's duration if desired. In a third ease, narrated by Mr. Braid, the trial 

 was made under the direct superintendence of a British officer, a period of nine davs 

 having been stipulated for on the part of the devotee ; but this was shortened to three 

 at the desire of the officer, who feared lest lie should incur blame if the result was 

 fatal. The appearance of the body when first disinterred, is described in all instances 

 as having been quite corpse-like, and no pulsation could be detected at the heart or in 

 the arteries: the means of restoration employed were chiefly warmth to the vertex 

 and friction to the body and limbs. It may be remarked that the possibility of the 

 protraction of such a state (supposing that no deception vitiates the authenticity of 

 the narratives referred to) can be much better comprehended as occurring in India 

 than as taking place; in this country ; since the warmth of the tropical atmosphere and 

 soil would prevent any serious loss of heat, such as must soon occur in a colder climate, 

 when the proeesses whereby it is generated are brought to a stand. 



1 Several such cases are recorded in Dr. II. Mayo's Letters on the Truths contained 

 in Popular Superstitions, and also by Mr. Braid, op. cit. 



