DEATH. Physicians usually define death by a total stoppage of the circula tion of the blood, and a cessation of the animal and vital functions consequent thereon ; as respiration, sensation, &c.
An animal body, by the actions insepa rable from liffi, undergoes a continual change. Its smallest fibres become rigid ; its minute vessels grow into solid fibres, no longer pervious to the fluids ; its greater vessels grow hard and narrow ; and every thing becomes contracted, closed, and bound up ; whence the dry ness, immobility, and extenuation, ob served in old age. By such means, the offices of the minuter vessels are destroy ed; the humours stagnate, harden, and at length coalesce with the solids. Thus are the subtilest fluids in the body inter cepted and lost, the concoction weaken ed, and the reparation prevented ; only the coarser juices continue to run slowly through the greater vessels, to the pre servation of life, after the animal func tions are destroyed. At length, in the process of these changes, death itself be comes inevitable, as the necessary conse quence of life. But it is rare that life is thus long protracted, or that death suc ceeds merely from the decays and im pairment of old age. Diseases, a long and melancholy train, cut the work short.
The signs of death are in many cases very uncertain. Between life and death the shade is often so very undistinguisha ble, that even all the powers of art can scarcely determine where the one ends and the other begins. The colour of the visage, the warmth of the body, and sup pleness of the joints, are but uncertain signs of life still subsisting ; while, on the contrary, the paleness of the com plexion, the coldness of the body, the stiffness of the extremities, the cessation of all motion, and the total insensibility of the parts, are but uncertain marks of death begun. In the same manner, also, with regard to the pulse and breathing ; these motions are so often kept under, that it is impossible to perceive them.
By bringing a looking-glass near to the mouth of the person supposed to be dead, people often expect to find whether he breathes or not. But this is a very un certain experiment ; the glass is frequently sullied by the vapour of the dead man's body ; and often the person is still alive, though the glass is no way tarnish ed. In the sane manner, neither burn ing nor scarifying, neither noises in the ears, nor pungent spirits applied to the nostrils, give certain signs of the discon tinuance of life ; and there are many in stances of persons who have endured them all, and afterwards recovered with out any external assistance, to the as tonishment of the spectators. This ought to be a caution against hasty burials, es pecially in cases of sudden death, drown ing, &c.
All our first associations with the idea of death are of the disgustful and alarm ing kind ; and they are collected from all quarters, from the sensible pains of eve ry sort, from the imperfection, weakness, loathsomeness, corruption, and disorder, where disease, old age, death, animal or vegetable, prevail, in opposition to the beauty, order, and lustre of life, youth, and health, from the shame and contempt attending the first, in many instances ; whereas the last are honourable, as being sources of power and happiness, the re ward of virtue, &c. and from the sympa thetic passions in general. And it is ne cessary, that the heedlessness and inex perience of infancy and youth should be guarded by such terrors, and their headstrong appetites and passions curb ed, that they may not be hurried into danger and destruction before they are aware. It is proper, also, that they should form some expectations with respect to, and set some value upon, their future life in this world, that so they may be better qualified to act their parts in it, and make the quicker progress to perfection dur ing their passage through it.