for recovering Perfons apparently drowned . 415 
trachea had been tied; and from experiments it appears, 
that any thing falutary to life, applied to the lungs, will 
relfore the heart’s action after it has been at reft fome 
time. 
I fhall divide violent deaths into three kinds. Firft, 
where only a ftop is put to the action of life in the ani- 
mal; not, however, by any irreparable injury to a vital 
part. If this action is not reftored in a certain time, it 
will be irrecoverably loft. The length of that time is 
fubjed to confiderable variation; which probably de- 
pends on circumftances, we are at prefent unacquainted 
with. The fecond is, where an injury is done to a vital 
part: as, by taking away blood till the powers of adion 
are loft, by a wound or preftlire on the brain or fpinal 
marrow; notwithftanding which, there remains fuffi- 
dent life in the folids, if adions could be reftored to the 
vital parts. The third is, where abfolute death in- 
ftantly takes place in every part, which is often the cafe 
in ftrokes of lightning; in the common method of kill- 
ing eels, by throwing them on fome hard fubftance, in 
fuch manner as that the whole length of the animal fhall 
receive the fhock at the fame inftant; and, as I believe, 
by a blow on the ftomach; in all which cafes the muf- 
cles remain flexible^;. 
(b) On the other hand, when an eel is killed by chopping it into a number 
of pieces, the powers of life are by thofe means routed into aftion ; and, as every 
part dies in that aftive Hate, every part is found ftiif after death. This explains 
the cuftom of cutting fifh into pieces while yet alive, in order to make them 
hard, ufually known by the name of crimping. 
Nor 
