DEATH. The cessation of life. The ceasing to exist.
Civil death is the state of a person who,, though possessing natural life, has lost all his civil rights and as to them, is considered as dead.
A person oonvieted and attainted of felony and sentenced to the state prison for life is, in the state of New York, in consequence of the act of 29th of March, 1799, and by virtue of the con viction sod sentence of imprisonment for life, to be considered as civilly dead. 6 Johns. Cit. N.Y. 118; 4 id. 228, 260; Laws of N. Y. Sess. 24, c. 49, (38. 29, 30, 31. And a similar doctrine anciently pre vailed in other cases at common law in England. See Coke, Litt. 133; 1 Sharswuud, Blackst. Comm. 132, n.
Natural death is the cessation of life.
It is also used to denote a death which occurs by the unassisted operation of natural causes, as dis tinguished from a violent death, or one caused or accelerated by the interference of human agency.
In Medical jurisprudence. The cause, phenomena, and evidence of violent death are of importance.
2. An ingenious theory as to the cause of death has been brought forward by Philip, in his work on Sleep and Death, in which he claims that to the highest form of life three orders of inflictions are neeessary,—viz.: the muscuLir, nervous, and senso that of these the two former arc indepenikot of the latter, and continue in action for a while after its cessation; that they might thus continue always, but for the fact that they arc dependent trt the process of respiration; that Ibis process is a voluntary act, depending upon the will, and that this latter is embraced in the sensorial function. In this view, death is the suspension or removal of the sensorial function, and that leads to the sus, pension of the others through the cessation of respiration. Philip, Sleep tit D.; Dean, Med. Jur. 413 et eeq.
3. Its phenomena, or signs and indications, Real is distinguishable from apparent death by several signs, some more conclusive ,than others: 1, cessation of the circulation; 2, cessation of the respiration ; 3, the facies Hippocratii,—wrinkled hrow; hollow eyes, pointed nose, hollow wrinkled temples, ele vated ears, relaxed lips, sunken cheek-bones, and wrinkled and pointed chin; 4, collapsed and softened state of the eye; 5, pallor and loss of elasticity in the skin; 6, insensibility and immobility ; 7, extinction of muscular irritability; 8, extinction of animal heat; 9, muscular rigidity; and, 10, the supervening of putrefaction, which depends something upon age, sex, condition of the body, and cause of death ,—also upon period, place, and mode of interments The process is increased by a high temperature, moisture, and access to air. Dean, Med: Jur. 418 et seq
4. Its evidence when produced by violence. This involves the inquiry as to the cause of death in all cases of the finding of bodies divested of life through unknown agencies. It seeks to gather all the evidence that can be furnished by the body and surrounding cir cumstances bearing upon this difficult and at best doubtful subject. It more immediately concerns the duties of the coroner, but is liable to come up subsequently for a more thorough and searching investigation. As this is a subject of great, general, and growing no apology is deemed necessary for presenting briefly some of the points to which inquiry should be directed, together with a reference to authorities where the doc trines are more thoroughly discussed.
The first point for determination is whether the death was the act of God or the result of violence. Sudden death is generally pro duced by a powerful invasion of the living forces that develop themselves in the heart brain, or lungs,—the first being called the second apoplexy, and the third asphyxia. Dean, Med. Jur. 426 et seq.
The two last are the most important to be understood in connection with the subject of persons found dead.
5. In death from apoplexy, the sudden in vasion of the brain destroys innervation, by which the circulation is arrested, each side of the heart containing its due proportion of blood, and the cavities are all distended from loss of power in the heart to propel its con tents. Death from apoplexy is disclosed by a certain apoplectic make or form of body, consisting of a large head, short neck, and plethoric frame, from the posture in which the body is found, and the appearances vealed by dissection, particularly in the head.