Volume 1

The standard physician : a new and practical encyclopaedia of medicine and hygiene especially prepared for the household / edited by Sir James Crichton-Browne [and others].

Date:
1908-1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The standard physician : a new and practical encyclopaedia of medicine and hygiene especially prepared for the household / edited by Sir James Crichton-Browne [and others]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    378/430 (page 348)
    Death, Aoparent Dengue Fever rilK STANDARD PHYSICIAN 34« with water or with fruit-juice, the perspiration wiped away, and every wish of the dying person carefully listened to and fulhlled if possible. After death the corpse should be laid on its back and cleansed. It should be dressed without delay before rigidity sets in ; otherwise dressing is difficult. The hair should be arranged, the eyelids closed softly, and the open mouth closed with a cloth drawn around the head and under the chin. The corpse should be covered with a shroud. In the summer-time chloride of lime may be sprinkled over the body, or the shroud which covers the body may be packed with salt and ice. The windows of the room in which the body lies may be opened, es])ecially when the weather is cool. For evidences of death, see Death, Apparent. DEATH, APPARENT.—The manifestations of life, especially those of the respiration and heart-beat, are sometimes reduced to such a degree that it appears as if life were extinct. The skin is cool to the touch and entirely devoid of colour ; no muscle is moved ; respiration is suspended so far as the eyes are able to observe ; and the pulse cannot be felt. And yet the differen- tiation between death and apparent death is of the utmost importance, because attempts at resuscitation must be made so long as death is not demonstrated beyond any (juestion of a doubt, especially in persons who have met with accidents. The danger of being buried alive is scarcely ever present, as burial under ordinary circumstances takes place at a time when the signs of death are obvious. The latter are : bluish-red, dirty-red, or rose-red death- spots upon the dependent parts of the body, particularly upon the back ; the eyelids remaining open when drawn apart ; cloudiness and folds in the horny layer of the eyes ; greenish discoloration of the skin in the soft parts of the body ; cadaveric rigidity, which generally occurs twelve hours after death, lasting from 24 to 48 hours ; and lowering of the temperature of the body to below 80° F., taken in the rectum. If these sure signs are absent, it is necessary to make more certain, even if the respiration and pulse are no longer noticeable. Death has occurred if, upon constriction of a finger or a toe with a thread, the skin of the con- stricted part does not discolour to a distinct red, and later, blue ; if, further, upon dripping hot water or sealing-wax upon the chest, the skin is not reddened, but if at once a blister is formed which bursts rapidly, showing a colourless background. In cases which even then remain doubtful, further guarantee is furnished by the electric current. This test, however, requires expert knowledge. In cases where suspicion exists that death is only apparent, a thorough examination should be made to discover the possible cause. It is occasionally noted that the position of limbs changes after death. This is due to the rapid onset of post-mortem rigidity, and it is by no means a sign that the patient has been alive. Changes of position of the corpse in the coffin are to be explained by the movements due to post-mortem rigidity.