3 
lesion in disease or by injury, and though this 
would be necessary in completing the subject, 
and would be full of scientific interest, and give 
us a noble field for discussion, yet, for brevity 
sake, and because it is not essential to the 
practical purpose at which we are aiming, we, 
unwillingly on this occasion, pass it over and 
hasten to the second division of the paper as 
originally proposed. 
Passing over the next point — the nervous in- 
fluence connected with the act of respiration — 
as it would lengthen out these remarks too 
much, we hasten to the second division of this 
paper as originally proposed, viz. : — 
Death bg Drowning. — Persons drowned 
present only one example of death by 
asphyxia, for there are many ways by which 
air to the lungs may be denied, and death ensue. 
Thu*, airmiy be prevented from finding en- 
trance into the lungs by stoppage of the mouth 
and nostrils (smothering) ; by submersion of 
the same inlets in some liquid (drowning) ; 
by mechanical obstruction of the larynx or 
trachea from within, as by a morsel of food 
(choking), cr from without as by the bow- 
string (strangulation) or by forcible pressure 
on the chest and abdomen, or by paralysis of 
the respiratory muscles from injury to, or 
disease of the spinal cord or nerves ; but as the 
object of this paper is a practical one and the 
endeavour that it shall be useful ; we will con- 
fine ourselves to the one manner of producing 
asphyxia — by drowning. 
A person falls into deep water — what hap- 
pens ? In the first instance vain attempts are 
made to respire — at each time the drowning 
person rises to the surface ; a portion of air is 
received into the lungs, but owing to the mouth 
being on a level with the liquid, water also 
enters and passes into the fauces. A large 
quantity of water thus usually passes into the 
mouth, which the individual feels himself irre- 
sistably compelled to swallow. The struggle 
for life may continue for a longer or shorter 
period, according to the age, sex, and strength 
of the person, but the result is, that the blood 
in the lungs, becomes imperfectly serated, and 
the individual becomes exhausted. The mouth 
then sinks altogether below the level of the 
water, air can no longer enter into the lungs — 
a portion of that which they contain is expelled, 
and rises in bubbles to the surface : an inde- 
scribable feeling of delirium, with a ringing 
sensation in the ears, supervenes — the person 
then loses all consciousness, and sinks asphyxi- 
ated. Before death, and while the body is 
submersed, frequent attempts are made to 
breathe, but at each effort air escapes from the 
lungs ; so that these organs may, according to 
the duration of the struggle, become more or 
less emptied, and even be iound collapsed after 
death. During the state of asphyxia dark- 
coloured blood is circulated — -convulsive motions 
of the body follow, and the contents of the 
stomach are sometimes ejected prior to dissolu- 
tion. There is not the least sensation of pain ; 
and, as in other cases of asphyxia, if the indi- 
vidual recover, there is a total unconsciousness 
of suffering during the period when the access 
of air was cut off from the lungs. I state this 
(Professor Taylor adds) from having acciden- 
tally experienced all the phenomena of drowning, 
up to the complete los3 of sensibility and con- 
sciousness. 
How long can a person remain beneath the 
surface of water without becoming asphyxiated? 
After what period of entire submersion of the 
body may we hope to resuscitate a person ? 
These two questions are very important, and 
require answer. 
On the best authority it is stated that 
perfect insensibility has supervened after one 
minute’s submersion, and it is probable that in 
most cases a few moments would suffice for the 
commencement of asphyxia, and it may be 
believed that asphyxia supervenes without 
varying materially with the individual, in the 
course of one or two minutes at the farthest. 
It has been found that amongst sponge and 
pearl divers, not one could sustain entire 
submerson of the body for two consecutive 
minutes. 
But says Taylor, asphyxia is not synonymous 
with death, for though the insensibility which 
is the result of submersion, will give to a body 
which has been immersed only a few minutes, 
or oven seconds, the characters of apparent 
death, yet we are not therefore to suppose 
that the person is irrecoverably lost, or to 
desist from applying all the means in our 
power to restore animation. 
There are cases on record where after entire 
submersion for one, two, five, ten, or perhaps 
fifteen or even twenty minutes, the persevering 
prompt application of the suitable measures 
has resulted in success. Indeed cases of 
alleged recovery afver half an hour, and even 
three quarters of an hour have been reported. 
This question of the great variation of time, 
in successful and unsuccessful attempts at 
resuscitation, is an interesting and important 
one, and might be discussed at great length. It 
is however foreign to our present purpose to 
stop here, and we will pass on at once to 
Marshall Hall’s ready method of treating 
persons asphyxiated — and this is equally appli- 
cable to persons drowned ; or infants asphyxiated 
during the birth ; indeed, probably many more 
infants’ lives have been saved than adults by it, 
the former class being more numerous and often 
in more favourable circumstances for its appli- 
cation than the latter. 
We will give his rules entire, premising that 
they could not in this town be made too public, 
and ought, like the directions of the Royal 
Humane Society, in London, be posted in 
suitable places for general information. 
Marshall Hall divides his rules into two 
sections : first, to restore respiration ; Eecond, 
to imitate respiration. The rules in the first do 
not differ altogether from those previously in 
force. Those in his second are his own, and 
