VoL. i., No. 4. 
TtlE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST OF AUSTRALASIA. 
60 
0ri0uuil ContrihitioiT 
COMMON EISKS INCURRED OF BEING ASPHYXIATED. 
By J. B. Lillie Mackay, A.K.C., Lond., 
JLecturer in Physiology and Hygiene under the Science and Art 
Department of the Privy Council on Education 
Asphyxia is a name applied by medical men to suspended 
animation brought about by deprivation of oxygen from the 
lungs, which, according to the famous French physiologist, 
Bichat, constitute one of the props in the “ tripod of life.” If no 
air, or but a scanty supply of that commodity, or if air contain- 
ing an undue proportion of irrespirable gases, such as carbonic 
anhydride, be admitted into the lungs, a temporary asphyxiated 
condition inevitably follows ; while if the deprivation of the 
vital oxygen — so necessary in every breath we take, to bring 
about the oxidation of venous blood — continues, death must 
as a necessary consequence ensue, since the blood becomes 
poisoned when not crated by. its passage through the lungs 
and then the heart in turn fails to perform its normal work. 
Now this asphyxiated condition may be induced in various 
ways. The commonest cause of it is drowning^ death from 
which results in virtue of the exclusion of - air from the 
respiratory organs. But strangling^ such as put out of existence 
the babes in the Tower, and so often practised in France by 
the garrotter in the streets, and formerly carried on in Edin- 
burgh by the murderous fellows Burke and Hare, in conjunction 
with their atrocious plan of body-snatching to provide speci- 
mens for anatomical investigation to the medical students of 
that city ; or suffocation by irrespirable gases, such as carbonic 
acid or even inert gases like nitrogen (which has not the 
power of supporting the respiratory function) may equally 
cause asphyxia, which will undoubtedly terminate fatally if 
prompt measures are not taken to promote recovery from the 
ill effects upon the respiratory and circulatory systems. 
Several cases have occurred lately in which deaths have 
resulted from suffocation either by entering wine vats to 
cleanse them out, or by descending old wells which have 
become choked. It is the “ old, old story” of fatality resulting 
from ignorance. There is a well known popular test for 
affording distinct evidence of the unfitness of the atmosphere 
in wells or in fermentation vats for the support of human life 
from the undue accumulation of carbonic acid (so called). 
The test consists in lowering a burning candle into the vat or 
well and if the light be extinguished, the lamp of human life 
■could not be supported — in other words, the suspected air, 
which it is our duty to inspect, is not only poisonous and 
therefore detrimental to health when inhaled into the lungs, 
■but it is absolutely unfit for maintaining respiration. Yet, as 
a rule, when one man succumbs to the pernicious influence of 
the poisonous gas popularly designated “carbonic acid,” 
another man is sure to go down to see what is the matter, and 
possibly a third or fourth person may follow with the in- 
iention of rescuing the other two. 
That we have not exaggerated the possible aspect of affairs, 
we may cite as an instance the sad catastrophe that lately 
-Occurred at Stawell, Victoria. Here we have a clear ease in 
point of the prevalent lack of judgment or rather error of 
judgment displayed in emergencies, as well as indubitable 
proof that the want of proper precautions assuredly gives rise 
to dire consequences. A lad named Simpson went down a 
deep and underground wine vat, and almost immediately 
became insensible. The dimensions of the vat were 13ft in 
Mepth and 8ft in width. His comrade, a man named Nicholas 
Trouette, seeing Simpson fall, jumped in directly after him in 
order to tie a rope round the lad, who was drawn up by others 
who had been summoned to the spot by cries of help. The 
lad was apparently lifeless, while Trouette, who endeavoured to 
.save him, completely succumbed to the prejudicial effect of the 
noxious gas. The mother and sister of the second man must 
now rush to the rescue, fully determined to plunge into similar 
danger, but fortunately prevented from so doing by the bye- 
standers. A third man, however (John Goby by name), sub- 
Bequently lowered Miss Trouette to the bottom of the vat, by 
means of a rope tied round her waist, but this woman when 
drawn^ up immediately afterwards, was found to be in an 
insensible condition. Notwithstanding all these warnings 
against peril, ^ Goby must needs now face the same stupid risk, 
and on reaching the bottom falls prostrate like the others 
* Onginal contributions should be addressed to the Editor, and should 
reach the office of this Journal not later than the 20th of the month to 
^ensure publication in the ensuing number. 
from the baneful effect of the poisoned air. Before these 
bodies could be recovered, life was found to be extinct. The 
lad Simpson and Miss Trouette were resuscitated, but a police- 
constable, who appeared on the scene, had a very escape from 
suffocation, for he also was lowered into the vat with a rope 
affixed to his middle, but being observed to fall insensible like 
those that preceded him, he was speedily extricated and re- 
animated. Thus where there is obvious danger, five people 
foolishly and severally go down a deep vat ; three are happily 
rescued in time to restore animation, though they greatly 
imperilled their lives, while the remaining two perish — 
poor victims sacrificed on the altar of ignorance ! At the 
coroner’s inquest the verdict returned was “ death from 
asphyxia.” This is true enough medically speaking, but 
it would have been more appropriate to have simply said — 
'■Heath from culpable negligence^ The owners of the wine 
vats ought to know that a poisonous gas is evolved from the 
lees in wine vats and should notify that on printed rules to be 
posted up in the vicinity of such vats. The preliminary test 
already indicated should be tried and if a candle flame expires 
on immersion, no human being should attempt to enter until 
that gas has been displaced. This maybe effected by lowering 
trays charged with slaked lime previously moistened with 
water, but a few days would be required for absorption of the 
carbon di-oxide ; or it can be more easily accomplished by 
thro.wing in flaming wisps of straw, which, in descending, heat 
the air and by establishing convection currents vitiated air 
is quickly replaced by pure air. This safeguard may not be 
put in practice if a live creature should perchance go down 
and fall insensible, although it would be better to attempt it 
at the risk of scorching the hair of the head than to multiply 
the accidents by deliberately entering the same snare as the 
first fell into. But the writer would make a practical sug- 
gestion which is feasible enough as well as inexpensive, and 
he thinks the plan proposed should always be carried into 
effect before any attempt to extricate the luckless person. It 
is to lower carefully one or two flat iron pans filled with hot 
water — the foot warmers supplied in railway carriages in the 
old country during winter time would answer admirably. The 
hot water would warm the air around the pans, and heated 
air being lighter must naturally rise, while colder and purer 
air from above the well will pass down to supply the place of 
the ascending air. The same precautionary steps mentioned 
above apply to old wells where the air is liable to become 
largely contaminated by carbon di-oxide. The lime and straw 
together with the iron pans could conveniently be kept at 
hand wherever such vats occur in wine districts. The moral 
of all this descriptive lesson is that to save recurrence of these 
frequent disasters, proper steps should be taken to prevent 
loss of life by the enforcement of the precautions and remedial 
measures heretofore indicated ; as wEl as the prominent dis- 
play of rules regarding the skilful treatment requisite in the 
case of any person becoming ashyxiated by hurtful gases. 
The published instructions of the Royal Humane Society (or 
other corporate body) respecting Dr. Marshall Hall’s or Dr. 
Sylvester’s methods of resuscitating the apparently chowned 
would answer admirably for the purpose here pointed out. 
Furthermore, all persons whose duty it is to descend these vats 
for the purpose of cleansing them out should be made to wear 
respirators containing fragments of quicklime designed to 
cover both mouth and nostrils. The necessity for this ^vill be 
obvious when we state that a candle can burn in an atmosphere 
that would not support life, so that the candle test, though a 
rough and ready one and generally a guarantee of the con- 
dition of the atmosphere of any deep well, pit, or wine-vat 
(especially if the diminution of the luminosity of the flame be 
taken into account), cannot be relied on as testifying to the 
freedom from risk of injury attending those who require to 
enter such places. 
A more satisfactory test would be to fill a Winchester quart 
bottle with the air contained in the well or vat, and then to 
shake up the contents of such bottle with some lime water, 
when, if any sensible opalescence should be produced, it might 
be safely judgedThat the examined air was not fit for human 
respiration. 
A recent example of the fatal results of descending old wells 
was afforded a few weeks back at Stoney Greek, New Zealand, 
where two men lost their lives from the injudicious custom of 
going down a well without first ascertaining whether the 
atmosphere therein contained be respirable or not. A record 
of this calamity appeared in the March issue of the Chemist 
and Druggist of Australasia* 
