DR. LATHROP's
DISCOURSE
BEFORE THE
HUMANE SOCIETY. A
DISCOURSE,
BEFORE THE
HUMANE SOCIETY,
IN
BOSTON:
DELIVERED
On the Second TUESDAY of JUNE,
1787.
BY JOHN LATHROP, D. D.
BOSTON; Printed by E. Russell. 1787.At the Semiannual Meeting of the
HUMANE SOCIETY, June 12, 1787.
VOTED, That the Honourable
JAMES BOWDOIN, Esq; L.L.D. Presi-
dent, Thomas Russell, Esq; First V. President,
Rev. Simeon Howard, D. D. Treasurer, Rev.
Samuel Parker, and Rev. Peter Thatcher, be
a Committee to wait on the Rev. John La-
throp, D. D. and return him the Thanks of
this Society for his excellent Discourse deli-
vered this day, and request a Copy thereof
to be printed at the Societys' Expence.
A true Copy from the Records,
Attest, SAMUEL PARKER, Rec. Sec'y.
Gentlemen,
I AM greatly honoured by the notice
which the Humane Society have
been pleased to take of the Discourse deli-
vered before them on the last Tuesday, and
by the very obliging manner in which they
have requested a Copy thereof to be printed.
A DESIRE in some measure to aid the
cause of Humanity, influenced me to ac-
cept the appointment made by the Trustees
of the Society, agreeably to the tenth Ar-
ticle of the Institutes; and influenced by the
opinion which the Society have been pleas-
ed to express, that the design of the Institu-
tion may be served by publishing the Dis-
course, I will give a Copy for that purpose.
Boston, June, 1787. JOHN LATHROP.A
DISCOURSE.
LUKE ix. 56.
The Son of Man is not come
to destroy men's lives, but to
save them.
PUBLICK institutions, founded
on the general principles of bene-
volence, and calculated either to
promote the happiness, or to alleviate
the sufferings of human life, are ho-
noured and encouraged among all the
civilized nations of the world.
To feed the hungry, and clothe the
naked, to nourish the orphan, and
help the widow in distress, are servi-
ces acceptable and well pleasing in the
sight of GOD our Saviour.
BUT[6]
BUT as the mind of man is affected
with the cries of the needy, and with
the sight of wretchedness, so the relief
of present misery has been the object of
those benevolent institutions in general
which have heretofore been established
by the wealthy and generous. The
founders of benevolent institutions in
general have carried their views no
farther than apparent death, unless to
provide a decent interment for such as
could no longer receive the fruits of
their liberalities. But since the dis-
coveries of modern times have suffici-
ently proved, "That the total suspen-
" sion of the vital functions of the
" animal  body, is by no means in-
" compatable with life,"* institutions
have been formed in various parts of the
world, for the recovery of persons, af-
ter they had tasted death, and sunk in-
to a state  of insensibility, from which,
if left without assistance, they could not
have awoke, 'till the morning of the
resurrection.
A
* Institution of the HUMANE SOCIETY in Boston.[7]
A PROPOSAL for a society, for the
purpose now mentioned, in former days
of ignorance and superstition, would no
doubt have been treated as impious and
absurd: But the success which has at-
tended the exertions of societies formed
for the recovery of persons visibly dead,
particularly such as were drowned, has
far exceeded expectation.
EXCITED by the success which has
attended Humane Societies in Europe, a
number of Gentlemen lately formed
themselves into a Society of the same
name, and for the same benevolent pur-
pose in this Commonwealth.
To aid the general design of the in-
stitution, this Society have a standing or-
der, "That some person be appointed
" to deliver a publick Discourse, on the
" second Tuesday of June, every year,
" upon some Medical Subject, connect-
" ed with  the principal objects of the
" Society."
To[8]
To deliver a Discourse upon a Medi-
cal Subject, would be out of the line of
my profession: But as the Trustees of
the Society have signified their pleasure,
that an Institution of so interesting a
nature, be introduced with a Religi-
ous Exercise, and that the first Dis-
course be rather on the general object
of the Society, than confined to the
Medical Science, I chearfully obey their
order; relying on the patience and
candour of this respectable assembly.
THE words of our LORD, placed at
the head of this Discourse, naturally lead
us to consider the value of human life,
and the duty of preserving it by every
method in our power.
THE holy Evangelists who have faith-
fully recorded the life of JESUS CHRIST,
abundantly testify that his actions per-
fectly corresponded with the declara-
tion in the text: He constantly went
about doing good. He not only fed
the[9]
the hungry, and healed the sick, but on
several occasions he invaded the empire
of death, and restored to disconsolate
mourners, their connexions and friends.
HE at once gave demonstration of
the power which he had received from
his Father in Heaven, and of the va-
lue which he sat on human life, when,
at the city Nain, he detained the fu-
neral procession, which was performing
the last kind office to the only son of
an afflicted widow, and with a sove-
reign word, restored him again to
his mother:—When he brought back
to life the daughter of Jairus, after it
was declared by all who saw her, that
she was dead; and more particularly,
when he raised Lazarus from the grave,
after he had been buried four days.
WE may be assisted in forming an
estimate of human life, not only by con-
sidering the value which was sat up-
on
B[10]
on it by the Son of Man, but by at-
tending to the frame and constitution
of our nature, together with the rank
which we hold among the creatures of
GOD;—by attending to the desire of life,
which is almost universal among the
human race, and by considering the
services which the children of men are
capable of rendering one another, in the
several connexions and relations which
they sustain.
MAN was designed by his Creator,
to have dominion over other animals,
and he was qualified for this superiour
rank by receiving a capacity for im-
provement, beyond any other creatures
on the earth.
WEAPONS contrived by human
skill, and directed  by the feeble hand
of man, are more fatal to the ravenous
beasts of the forest, than all their
strength and fury are to man.
SE-[11]
SEVERAL of the inferiour animals
indeed discover surprising art in pro-
viding for their support, and in secur-
ing themselves against their enemies:
But while they are furnished with suf-
ficient sagacity for the preservation of
their species, it does not appear that the
mental faculties which they have, are
capable of any considerable enlarge-
ment. Their natural history does not
inform us, that any tribes of animals
below man, are better able to collect
the means of subsistence, or to defend
themselves with more success against
such as would destroy them, than they
were several thousand years ago.
BUT the improvements in useful
knowledge, which have been made by
man, are surprising. —Man, by tilling
the earth, which seems to be his natu-
ral business, finds by experiments and
observations, that the means of subsist-
ance[12]
ance may be gathered from a small piece
of ground. -Man can also traverse
the ocean, and by an art which no
other creature hath learned, he can
circum-navigate the globe, and please
his taste with the produce of every
clime: Or, by the use of letters, man
may abide at home, and yet collect
both knowledge and wealth from na-
tions the most distant, and the least
acquainted with each other.
FARTHER, to enlarge his mind,
and increase his  intellectual happiness,
man, by the use of figures, and a few
instruments which his own skill hath
invented, can look into the heavenly
regions—can survey those vast bodies
which revolve about the common cen-
tre of the System to which we be-
long; yea, he can look beyond our
System, and make acquaintance with
other worlds and other systems, until
the grandeur of the Universe astonishes
his[13]
his mind, and to use the words of a
great Philosopher and Divine, "He
" turns giddy* with the prospect."
SUCH being his nature, and such
his capacity for improvement in know-
ledge and intellectual felicity, we may
be sure the Author of his existence
designed him for a happy and honoura-
ble rank in creation.
MAN is at the head of the creatures
which dwell on the face of the earth;
but the treasures of the earth cannot sa-
tisfy him: He seeks acqutintance with
other worlds; —he longs to converse
with superiour beings, and feels the
highest pleasure in contemplating the
perfections of his Creator, in the bound-
less Universe.
SUCH pleasure belongs to man;
such pleasure he is capable of enjoying
in
---
* Rev. Dr. PRICE.[14]
in the present life; life is therefore
desirable. —There is no evil which we so
generally dread, as the loss of life: "All
" that a man hath will he give for his
" life." Every conceivable enjoyment
on this side Heaven depends on the conti-
nuance of life Crowns and sceptres lose
their value as their owners draw near
the grave. In that dark abode, the
slave and the sovereign are equally im-
potent: In the grave there is no know-
ledge—no mental enjoyment. "When
" the days of a man are finished, and
" he passeth away, his love and his ha-
" tred, and his envy perish with him.
" If his sons come to honour, he know-
" eth it not: If they are brought low
" he perceiveth it not of them."*
As all sensation depends on the or-
gans of life, so when those organs are
destroyed, we have reason to tear all
mental
---
* JOB xiv. 21.[15]
mental exercises must cease, until he who
first gave us existence shall restore us from
the ruins of nature, and bring us for-
ward to resume the task, and complete
the work which we left unfinished.*
IF it be true, that every conceiva-
ble enjoyment on this side Heaven, de-
pends on the continuance of life, we
shall endeavour to protract our own ex-
istence, and we shall endeavour to res-
cue from the gate of death, such as
are in danger of going down to the
grave, before their proper time.
THE value of human life will still
rise in view, as we consider the services
which the children of men are capable of
rendering each other, in the several con-
nexions and relations which they sustain.
SUCH are our connexions, that our
happiness greatly depends on one ano-
ther.—
---
* Dr. HARTLEY's Observations on Man.[16]
ther. — The happiness of a whole em-
pire may depend on the life of a wise
and good monarch. —The happiness of
a state or province may depend on
the life of rulers, whose abilities and
fidelity merit the confidence of the
people. —The happiness of parents de-
pends on the life of their children:
And the happiness of children depends
on the life of their parents, especially in
their young and tender years. —Next to
our own dissolution, there is nothing we
dread so much as the death of those with
whom we are intimately connected.
OTHER considerations might be sug-
gested to illustrate the value of human
life, were I not afraid of protracting
this Discourse to an improper length.
The strength of kingdoms and em-
pires, is in proportion to the number
of inhabiants, provided they are well
governed and employed.
BUT the value of human life, is not
to be wholly estimated by the enjoy-
ments[17]
ments of the present state, and the ser-
vices which the children of men are ca-
pable of rendering each other: The pre-
sent mode of our existence may be consider-
ed as a state of discipline, designed by an
allwise Creator to prepare us for higher
employments, and more perfect felici-
ty. —The present life may be consider-
ed, with reference to a future state, as
childhood with reference to mature
age. In another world we may act
with much more knowledge, and with
manly vigour. —At present we know
but in part, but in a future state we
may know even as we are known. —
Knowledge and happiness may be pour-
ed in upon our mind, in ways which
far exceed our present conceptions. —
Our happiness however, at our entering
on a future state, will be proportion-
ed to the improvement we now make
of our mental faculties, and of the oppor-
tunities we have to be useful, to others.
The longer therefore we continue in
the present state, provided we make
good improvement of our abilities, and
opportunities for usefulness, the better
shall we be prepared for a future world.
FROM
C[18]
FROM all that has been said, human
life appears highly valuable: It is our
duty to preserve our own life, and the life
of others. "The SON of MAN came not
"to destroy men's lives, but to save them."
To save human life, when in immi-
nent danger, is the great object of the
Humane Societies which have been esta-
blished in various parts of Europe; and
of the Society of the same name, but
lately establilhed in this Commonwealth.
As the history of the Humane Socie-
ties which have been formed within the
last twenty years, is not generally known,
I presume it will not be displeasing to
give a short account of them: This
Assembly will then judge whether a So-
ciety of this sort merits encouragement.
THE first Society of this kind which
I shall mention, and the first for ought I
know in the world, was established at Am-
sterdam, in the year 1767. A few wealthy
Gentlemen of that City, struck with a va-
riety of instances in which persons falling
into[19]
into the water, were lost for want of
proper treatment when brought on the
shore, formed themselves into a Socie-
ty for the recovery of drowned persons.
THE reports of that Society inform
us, that in the space of four years from
the date of the Institution, one hun-
dred and fifty drowned persons were
recovered by the use of the means,
which the Society recommended. *----
Some of the persons thus restored to life
had been under water an hour and a half.
THE astonishing success which at-
tended the exertions of the Societies at
Amsterdam, and at Hamburgh, encou-
raged similar Institutions at Venice, Mi-
lan, Padua, Vienna, Paris and London.
IN nine months after the Humane
Society was established at Paris, the
experiments were made on twenty-
eight drowned persons, and twenty-
three of them were recovered.
FROM
---
* Doctor ALEXANDER JOHNSON's Account of
Societies for the recovery of drowned persons, &c.[20]
FROM the reports of the Humane
Society in Great-Britain, it appears,
that in the first ten years, "Seven
" hundred and ninety-six were re-
" stored from apparent death:" By
far the greatest part had been drown-
ed; some had lain under water an
hour and a half, and one, two hours.
BESIDES the numerous instances
of recovery after drowning, and seve-
ral after suffocating, strangling and
other accidents, a singular  case is relat-
ed by the Rev. Mr. THOMPSON,
who preached a Sermon for the Hu-
mane Society, at Brompton-Chapel, of
a Lad about eighteen years old, who
was struck apparently dead by a flash
of Lightning. —One hour and a half pas-
sed, before any means were used to recover
him, and the means were continued three
hours, before any signs of life appear-
ed; at length animation was restored,
and in a short time after he recovered to
perfect health.*
IT
---
* The above remarkable case is entered on the margin
of, "A brief Account of the Human Society established
" in[21]
IT is to be wished this successful
case may be generally known, that
like trials may be made, whenever
there shall be occasion.
WHERE no signs of life have ap-
peared after severe strokes of Lightning,
there have seldom, I believe, been any
attempts of consequence made to re-
store animation. But in such cases of
apparent
---
" in this kingdom, (Great-Britain) in the year 1774.
" By Doctor W. HAWES, Register and Secretary."
ALTHOUGH the Lightning rends the knotty oak and
splits the hardest rocks, no breach is made on the
animal body, by strokes which occasion instant death.
How Lightning kills, seems not to be generally deter-
mined by those Gentlemen who have given attention
to the subject. —If very heavy strokes destroy the ten-
der parts of the system, so as to render all endeavours
to restore animation ineffectual, the above case will
incline us to think, persons may be struck apparently
dead, when no essential injury is done to the organs
of the body.
THAT great Philosopher, "Doctor PRIESTLEY, has
" given us some curious experiments, in the second
" part of his ingenious Treatise on Air, tending to
" prove, from the diminution of common air by
" the electrick spark, that the latter either is, or con-
" tains Phlogiston, since it does the very same
" thing that Phlogiston does."* IF
---
* Doctor THOMAS HENRY, F. R. S.[23]
wholly extinguished, encouraged several
Gentlemen in this Commonwealth, to
form themselves into a Society for like
benevolent purposes: But from the time
in which the Society was instituted, hi-
therto, no person has been drowned in
this neighbourhood, on whom the
experiments could be made.
As the great object of the Society is
to save life, they not only promise a re-
ward to such as first discover, and
bring intelligence to one of the Phy-
sicians of the Society of any accidents pro-
ducing apparent death, but they also pro-
mise a reward to any, who, by a signal
exertion, shall save another from death.
ONE case of this sort has happened,
and a reward has been given to a Per-
son in this Town, for exerting himself,
and hazarding his own life, to save a
Lad who was in danger of perishing
under the ice.*
THE
* Young Mr. SLOANE saw a Lad fall through the ice,
into the Mill-Pond; and hastening to the place,
without waiting to pull off his clothes, he plunged
into the water, and brought the Lad to the shore,
after he had sunk several times to the bottom.[24]
THE Society have also printed and dis-
persed, a considerable number of Pamph-
lets, containing Methods of Treatment to
be used with persons apparently dead,
from drowning, and from several other
accidents, which in a short time limit
prove fatal, if no assistance can be had.
THE Society also, taking into consi-
deration the deplorable condition, in
which many of our sea-faring Brethren
have perished after shipwreck, for want
of a shelter from the storm and cold,
determined to erect a few small build-
ings, on the most dangerous parts of the
sea-coast, in which shall be lodged mate-
rials for the comfort of such as may be
cast on shore. Two of those buildings
will be soon finished, when notice will
be given of their situation.
Thus far has the Society proceeded:
Considerable funds may be necessary in
order to carry their designs fully into
execution. They have no doubt but
they shall receive every encouragement
which they can have reason to expect,
from the Government of the Common-
wealth; and they presume it will not be
dis-[25]
displeasing to request a collection of such
of the present Assembly, as are able and
willing to aid their benevolent designs.
Should the funds be sufficient,
great improvements may be made on the
original plan. Premiums may be in-
larged for the encouragement of such
as shall exert themselves to save life:
Experiments more numerous and more
satisfactory may be made to restore ani-
mation, in cases  which have been ge-
nerally thought desperate, by which a
more perfect acquaintance with the hu-
man constitution, no doubt may be ob-
tained, and the art of healing may be
rendered more extensively useful.
Although we are not to expect
the fatal effects of diseases can be wholly
prevented by any efforts of human wis-
dom, and human benevolence, we may
however indulge a hope, that by pro-
gressive improvements in the knowledge
of nature in general, and the noble art
of healing in particular, many diseases
which have heretofore spread desolation
far and wide, may be greatly mitigated.
ONE
D[26]
ONE dreadful disease,* which next to
the plague, had been for ages the terror and
destroyer of mankind, is now almost de-
prived of its power to hurt. -It is impossible
to say how far other diseases may be sub-
dued in consequence of future discoveries.
AS the human system is composed of
materials, subject to daily alterations,
from the very aliments which we receive,
and from the air which we inspire, we
must not expect in the present world, to
be exempt from diseases and death:
But the discoveries lately made by che-
mical experiments, and particularly by
experiments on air, encourage a hope,
that remedies may be found to counter-
act, and for a much longer time than
heretofore, prevent the fatal consequen-
ces of those alterations in the animal
system, to which it is liable.† 
AIR
---
* The SMALL-POX.
† "It is with peculiar pleasure," says Doctor HENRY,
" that I can congratulate the Publick, on the acquisition
" of so valuable an addition to the Materia Medica, (fix-
" ed air.)—Doctor PERCIVAL has favoured the Publick
" with some cases, in which fixed air thrown into the in-
" testines produced considerable benefit: That Gentle-
man's[27]
AIR and heat may be considered, as
principal causes of animation. When
the great AUTHOR of nature had complet-
ed the human body, He breathed into it,
and gave it life. —Future experiments
must determine, if the discovery shall
ever be made, how long the body may
remain insensible, and apparently dead,
and yet, if the organs are not essentially
injured, may be animated by inducing
heat, and supplying the lungs with
good air. -It is demonstrated that the
body may be animated, after all appear-
ances of life have ceased for several hours.
BUT lest any, from what has been
said on the subject of restoring animation,
should wich to have experiments made
in cases where there can be no proba-
bility of succes, it may not be amiss to
observe, —attempts cannot be encourag-
ed for the recovery of those who are
worn
---
" man's practice, and the observations of other ingeni-
" ous Physicians, have since furnished some additional ca-
" ses, in which the good effects of this medicine were in-
" disposable. It has also been applied with great success
" as a fumigation to foul ulcers, and I have used it with
" the most happy event in putrid sore throats, and ulcerat-
" ed mouths and gums, attended with putrid symptoms."
 Vide. M.LAVOISIER's Essays Physical and Chemical.[28]
worn out with age, or die of diseases which
essentially injure the organs of the body.
CASES which afford hope of success
are those in general called sudden
deaths; —such as drowning, fainting,
suffocating by the noxious vapours of
burning coal, fermenting liquors, wells,
cisterns, and other confined and deep pla-
ces, to which we may add, strokes of light-
ning, strangling;* — and in general all
cases of apparent death, where there is
reason to suppose the organization of the
body remains intire.
WHEN-
* There are several cases related by Doctor JOHNSON, of
persons restored from apparent death, after being
suffocated and strangled.
Mr. GLOVER, Surgeon in Doctor's Commons, London,
communicated the case of Patrick Redman, who was
hanged in the City of Cork, for a street-robbery.
THIS Culprit hung twenty-nine minutes; no signs of
life appeared after the first four minutes.
ON the Sheriff's retiring, the rope was cut, and the body
was carried to a field, near the place of execution, where
the usual methods for recovering persons apparently
dead were used near four hours, without any effect.
" Mr. GLOVER then made an incision through the skin,
" into the wind-pipe, in the usual manner, and blew
" strongly through a canula into the lungs: About
" twenty minutes after, the blood, at the temporal arte-
" ry, which had been opened, began to run, and a slow
" pulse was just perceptable." The experiments
were[29]
WHENEVER we are happy enough to
recover any of our fellow-creatures from
apparent death, the Humanity which
we profess, will excite us to afford them all
needed assistance, so that their ransomed
days may prove peculiarly advantageous.
To the honour of the Humane Society in
Great-Britain, they not only endeavour to
save life when in imminent danger, but
they provide means of instruction for such
as by their exertions, have been saved
from death. -Persons thus recovered,
are assembled at stated periods for reli-
gious worship, and devotional books,
suited to their circumstances, are distri-
buted among them.
You will allow me to insert a few sen-
tences from a Letter sent by an eminent
Physician in England, to one of the Insti-
tutors of that Humane Society, accompa-
nying
---
were carried on from two o'clock, until a little after
seven, before the poor Creature was sufficiently alive
to open his eyes: But the second day he was so well
as to walk eight miles back into the Country, to elude
the search of the Officers of Justice. -He was seen
several years afterwards, by persons who related that
he was in good health.[30]
nying a sum of money to purchase books
for the purpose just mentioned.
" IN reflecting," says he, "upon the
" nature and design of the Humane Socie-
" ty, one cannot but recal to mind, with
" a kind of pious retrospection, the won-
" derful example of our Saviour, in
" raising multitudes from the dead, and
" going about to save life, and promote
" religion. This divine example the
" Society has laudably imitated, and its
" endeavours have been blessed with suc-
" cess. The husband has been restored
" to the disconsolate wife, the father to
" the helpless child; and above all,
" many an unhappy victim of intempe-
" rance and despair has revived to
" sentiments of virtue and piety.
" IN most of the Institutions in this
" Metropolis, founded by the benevo-
" lence and humanity of its Inhabitants,
" the principal object has been the re-
" lief of present misery: But the atten-
" tion of the Humane Society, has been
" extended beyond the grave: In giv-
" ing life to the expiring corpse they
" have[31]
" have likewise endeavoured to reani-
" mate the mind, and awaken it to a
" sense of reverential gratitude to the
" great GIVER and PRESERVER of life.
" THERE is no picture in history so
" tenderly affecting, as the assemblage of
" the numerous objects whom the Society
" have been made the instruments of
" redeeming from death, when united
" in publick devotion.
" THE tear of compassion and sympa-
" thy, drawn from every eye, by such a
" sight, is the strongest tribute of pub-
" lick approbation that can be given to
" the exertions of the Society."*
THE pious and truly benevolent senti-
ments expressed in this Letter, do honour
to the Writer, and to the Institution of
which he is a Member. —More need
not be said to encourage the use of pro-
per means, and show the high probability
of restoring animation in many cases,
after the body hath lain a considerable
time apparently dead.
No
---
* Dr. JOHN COAKLEY LETTSOM, Sambrook-House.[32]
No tongue can express the joy we
should feel, were the companion of our
soul—were a beloved child, or any dear
friend, who had been snatched from us
by some dreadful accident, restored a-
gain to our bosom, from the shroud, or
from the coffin!
THIS joy has been realized by successful
experiments, in other parts of the world:
This joy, it is possible, some of our con-
nexions or acquaintance, may have an op-
portunity to realize, in future time.
A REMARKABLE case has been com-
municated to the Society, of a Gentleman,
who, I suppose, is now living in Phila-
delphia: —Five or six years ago he was
in France, where he was sick, and was
supposed to have died: —Three days af-
ter his supposed death, a Physician hap-
pening to look into the coffin, just be-
fore the corpse was to have been buried,
judged from the countenance, animation
might be restored: The funeral was
delayed, and by the use of proper
means, the Gentleman was restored
to his friends and to the world.
THIS[33]
THIS instance should caution us a-
gainst hastening the body of our friends
to the grave. In cases of sudden death,
the last solemn rite should not be per-
formed until there be evident marks
of putrefaction. *
E But
* Another case, communicated by JONATHAN WILLI-
AMS, jun. Esq; which he received from Dr. FRANKLIN,
I fling into this note, on account of its singular nature.
A GENTLEMAN, who laboured under a disease which
he himself supposed would prove mortal: When he
approached the last agonies, his faithful Servant was
weeping by his side; he ordered the Servant to watch
him, and when he had breathed his last, to get naked
into his bed, and as far as possible incompass the bo-
dy; then to breathe forcibly into his mouth, and to
continue this act until he should recover, or become
cold: The Servant punctually obeyed: The Gentle-
man recovered, and lived to relate the story many
years after.
WITHOUT taking any thing from the miracle, in the re-
covery of the young Shunammite, recorded in the fourth
chapter of the second book of Kings, we cannot help
observing, the Prophet Elisha made use of means some-
what similar to those used in the case just related.
"And he went up and lay upon the child, and put
"his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his
"eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and he stretch-
"ed himself upon the child, and the flsh of the child
"WAXED WARM. —And the child sneesed—and
"opened his eyes." [34]
BUT while we drop a tear over the
grave of such of our fellow-creatures,
as may have, alass! too soon, been joined
to the congregation of the dead, let us
present our grateful acknowledgments to
to the FATHER of LIFE, that he hath,
in this age of rapid improvement, led
to those important discoveries, by which
many of the human race may be sav-
ed from an untimely end.
THE tender feelings of our heart, and
the Spirit of our holy Religion, happily
unite in the cause of Humanity.
THE SON of GOD came into the world
to save the life, and promote the happi-
ness of the children of men.
Let it be our determination to fol-
low his most amiable example. Let us
be constant and unwearied in works of
Humanity, and we shall receive the full re-
ward of our labours, when those who found
relief from our hand, when ready to
perish, shall rise up and call us BLESSED.AN
APPENDIX:
Containing a short Account of the
HUMANE SOCIETY, in
the Commonwealth of MASSA-
CHUSETTS: Together with the
METHOD of TREATMENT to
be used with Persons apparently
dead from drowning, &c.
IN the Year 1785 several Physicans,
and a number of other Gentlemen
in the Town of Boston, having some ac-
quaintance with Societies in Europe, which
have been formed within the last twen-
ty years, for the recovery of persons ap-
parently dead from drowning, suffocation,
strangling and other accidents, proposed
to establish a Society of a similar kind
in this Commonwealth. A Subscription
was accordingly opened; and a sufficient
Number having entered their Names, a
Meeting was appointed for the choice of
Officers, and the establishment of such Rules
as were thought necessary for the future
direction of the Society. THEii APPENDIX.
THE annual Meeting for the choice of
Officers, is on the first Tuesday in Decem-
ber. The present Officers of the Society are,
The HONOURABLE
JAMES BOWDOIN, Esq; L.L.D.
President.
THOMAS RUSSELL, Esq;
First Vice-President.
JOHN WARREN, M.D.
Second Vice-President.
Rev. SIMEON HOWARD, D.D.
Treasurer.
Rev. SAMUEL PARKER,
Recording-Secretary.
Rev. JOHN CLARKE,
Corresponding-Secretary.
TRUSTEES,
Rev. JOHN LATHROP, D.D.
Rev. PETER THACHER,
Doct. THOMAS WELCH,
Mr. NATHANAEL BALCH,
AARON DEXTER, M.D.
SAMUEL HENSHAW, Esq;
AGREEABLYAPPENDIX, iii
AGREEABLY to the tenth Article of
the Institutes, at the Semiannual Meet-
ing, which is on the second Tuesday
in June, a Publick Discourse is deliver-
ed by some Person appointed by the
Trustees for that purpose, upon some
Medical Subject, connected with the
principal objects of the Society; and
on the same day agreeably to the thir-
teenth Article, the President and Trustees
adjudge a Medal to the Author of the
most approved Dissertation which they
shall have received in the course of the
preceeding year.
METHODSiv APPENDIX.
METHODS of TREATMENT to
be used with Persons apparently
dead from drowning, &c.
THOUGH the following Methods
are chiefly adapted to cases of apparent
death from drowning, yet the Society
think it proper to observe, that most
of the means of restoration herein re-
commended are applicable to a consi-
derable variety of other cases, such as
hanging, convulsion fits, cold, suffo-
cation by damps, or noxious vapours,
the confined air of wells, cisterns,
caves, or the must of fermenting li-
quors. —The Society have in the most
essential Articles of Treatment, fol-
lowed the recommendations of foreign
Societies of a similar nature; though
they have endeavoured by a few ne-
cessary alterations, to render them
more conformable to the particular
circumstances of the Country.
I. THE unfortunate person is to be
conveyed carefully to the nearest
publick or other house open for its
reception, in such a manner as to prevent
the extinction of any small remains of
life that may exist: For this purpose the
head is to be raised a little, as in bed,
andAPPENDIX. v
and the body should be carried in a natural
and easy posture, as in the same situation.
II. The object is to be immediately
stripped, and laid on a warm bed, and
the skin well dried with heated flannels,
the mud and froth to be removed from
the mouth and nostrils; if the body was
naked at the time of the accident, it is
then to be surrounded as expeditiously as
possible with a hot blanket, and thorough-
ly dried with coarse cloths or flannels.
III. WHEN the air is very cold or moist,
the various Methods of Treatment are to
be made use of near a large fire, or in a
heated apartment. On the other hand,
if the weather is warm, or sultry, (as in
the summer season) the windows and doors
of the room should be opened; and in eve-
ry other possible way a cool refreshing air
obtained; as it is of the greatest impor-
tance in bringing forward the latent spark
of life, or in restoring natural breathing.
IV. No persons are to be admitted in-
to the room, but those who are actually em-
ployed in exerting their utmost endeavours
for the recovery of the unfortunate; six
persons are therefore the greatest num-
ber that can ever prove useful on such oc-
casions; and those who are by-standers
forvi APPENDIX.
for the sake of curiosity should be re-
quested to withdraw, as their presence may
retard or totally prevent the restoration.
V. The smoke of tobacco thrown up
the fundament should be ranked among
the earliest applications; if a fumigator*
should not be at hand, the common pipe
will answer the purpose of applying this
vapour to the bowels. So easy and im-
portant an operation should be repeatedly
performed, as the good effects of tobac-
co smoke have been proved in many cases.
VI. The skin is to be gently rubbed
with warm woollen cloths, and a warm-
ing-pan heated (the body being sur-
rounded with flannel) may lightly be
moved up and down the back for a consi-
derable time. Wooden bottles, filled
with hot water, &c. or heated bricks,
covered with flannel, may be effica-
ciously applied to the soles of the feet,
palms of the hands, and other parts of
the body. VII.
* Two sets of these instruments are already procured at
the expence of the Society; one set is deposited, by order
of the Trustees, with Doct. JOHN WARREN, in School-
Street, another with Doct. DAVID TOWNSEND, in Essex-
Street: The Trustees intend, as soon as possible, to pro-
cure one or two more sets, when the Publick will be notifi-
ed with whom they are lodged. —When the common pipe
is used, the smoke is to be blown with the mouth from the
bowl, through the item, into the fundament, covering
the bowl with a handkerchief, or thin piece of linen.APPENDIX. vii
VII. IF a child has been drowned, its body
should be wiped perfectly dry, and imme-
diately placed in bed between two persons
of good constitution; the salutary effects of
the natural vital warmth have been clear-
ly proved in a variety of successful cases.
VIII. THE body is to be rubbed with
flannels, sprinkled with spirits, and fo-
mentations of hot rum are to be applied
to the  breast, &c. and often renewed.
The nostrils may be every now and
then tickled with a feather; snuff and
volatiles should be occasionally made use
of, to excite sneezing if possible. The
various means of recovery should be made
use of by the assistants for several hours,
the body is to be gently shaken every ten
minutes, in order to render the process
more certainly successful; and the bodies
of children in particular are to be agitated,
by taking hold of their arms and legs
frequently, and for a continuance of
time. In a variety of instances agitation,
in conjunction with the methods laid
down, has forwarded the recovery of boys
who had been drowned, and continued
for a considerable time apparently dead.
IX. IF there be any signs of returning
life, such as sighing, gasping, convulsive
motions, pulsation or a natural warmth, a
F spoonfulviii APPENDIX.
spoonful of any warm liquid may be ad-
ministered; and if it proves that the power
of swallowing is returned, then a cordial
draught may be given in small quantities,
but not without the direction of a Physician.
BLEEDING is never to be employed in such
cases, unless by the direction of one of the
Medical Assistants, or some other respectable
Gentleman of the Faculty, who has paid
attention to such unfortunate accidents.
THE methods which have been so ful-
ly recommended, are to be made use of
with vigour for several hours, although
no favourable circumstances should arise;
for it is a vulgar and dangerous opinion
to suppose that persons are irrecoverable,
because life does not soon make its ap-
pearance; and upon this opinion, an
immense number of the seemingly dead
have been committed to the grave, who
might have been RESTORED TO LIFE,
by resolution and perseverance in the
Plans of Treatment now recommended.
WHENEVER any good has been pro-
duced by the means recommended, the
Person who has superintended the cure
is desired to write a circumstantial ac-
count of it to the Society.
LISTAPPENDIX. ix
LIST of the MEMBERS
OF THE
HUMANE SOCIETY.
Doctor Samuel Adams,
Mr. Thomas Amory,
Mr. Azor Archbald,
John Avery, jun. Esq;
Mr. Jonathan Loring Austin,
Hon. Benjamin Austin, jun. Esq;
Mr. Nathanael Balch,
Joseph Barrell, Esq;
Samuel Barrett, Esq;
Doct. Josiah Bartlett, Charlestown,
Rev.Jeremy Belknap,
Mr. Nathanael Bethune,
Mr. William Billings,
Hon. James Bowdoin, Esq;
James Bowdoin, jun. Esq; Dorchester,
John Boyle, Esq;
Samuel Bradford, Esq;
Samuel Breck, Esq;
Mr. Henry Bromfield, jun.
John Brown, Esq;
Thomas Bulfinch, M.D.
Benjamin Clark, Esq;
Rev. John Clarke,
Hon. Richard Cranch, Esq; Braintree,
Hisx APPENDIX.
His Honour Thomas Cushing, Esq;
Thomas Cushing, jun. Esq;
Mr. Benjamin Clark Cutler.
Hon. Francis Dana, Esq; Cambridge,
Mr. William Dall,
Mr. Peter Roe Dalton,
Hon. Caleb Davis, Esq;
Amasa Davis, Esq;
Robert Davis, Esq;
Thomas Dawes, jun. Esq;
Mr. Gilbert Deblois,
Richard Devens, Esq;
Mr. John Deverell,
Aaron Dexter, M.D.
Mr. Ebenezer Dorr.
Rev. Joseph Eckley,
Rev. John Eliot,
Mr. Simon Elliott,
Mr. Thomas English,
William Erving, Esq;
Mr. John Erving, jun.
Rev. Oliver Everett.
Joshua Farrington,  Esq;
Mr. John Fenno,
Mr. Bossenger Foster,
Mr. William Foster,
Mr. James Freeman,
Mr. Jonathan Freeman.
Mr.APPENDIX. xi
Mr. Joseph Greene,
Joseph Greenleaf, Esq;
Mr. John Greenleaf.
Joseph Hall, jun. Esq;
Doct. Lemuel Hayward,
Samuel Henshaw, Esq;
Stephen Higginson, Esq;
Benjamin Hitchborn, Esq;
Alexander Hodgdon, Esq;
Rev. Simeon Howard, D.D.
Doct. John Homans.
Hon. Jonathan Jackson, Esq;
Henry Jackson, Esq,
Leonard Jarvis, Esq;
Patrick Jeffery, Esq;
John Coffin Jones, Esq;
Doct. John Joy.
Doct. Thomas Kaft,
Mr. Bartholomew Kneeland.
Mr. William Lambert,
Rev. John Lathrop, D.D.
Benjamin Lincoln, jun. Esq;
Doct. James Lloyd,
Hon. John Lowell, Esq;
Mr. John Lowell,
John Lucas, Esq;
Jonathanxii APPENDIX.
Jonathan Mason, Esq;
John May, Esq;
Mr. Joseph May,
George Richards Minot, Esq;
Mr. John Murray, Gloucester.
Mr. Henry Newman.
Rev. Thomas Fitch Oliver, Marblehead.
Hon. Robert Treat Paine, Esq;
Rev. Samuel Parker,
Edward Payne, Esq;
Mr. Joseph Pierce
Mr. Robert Pope,
Mr. Joseph Pope,
William Powell, Esq;
Mr. Henry Prentiss,
Ezekiel Price, Esq;
Edward Proctor, Esq;
Mr. Sampson Read,
John Rice, Esq;
Thomas Russell, Esq;
Mr. Joseph Russell,
Mr. Ezekiel Russell.
Mr. Samuel Salisbury,
William Scollay, Esq;
Mr. William Selby,
Hon. David Sewall, Esq; York,
SamuelAPPENDIX. xiii
Samuel Sewall, Esq; Marblehead,
Mr. William Shattuck,
Doct. Oliver Smith,
Mr. William Smith,
Capt. Nehemiah Somes,
Rev. Samuel Stillman,
Doct. Charles Stockbridge, Scituate,
Mr. Russell Sturgis,
Hon. James Sullivan, Esq;
James Swan, Esq;
John Sweetser, Esq;
Mr. John Templeman,
Rev. Peter Thacher,
Doct. Thomas Thaxter, Hingham,
Doct. David Townsend,
Mr. Edward Tuckerman,
William Tudor, Esq;
Hon. Cotton Tufts, Esq; Weymouth.
John Warren, M.D.
Josiah Waters, Esq;
Arnold Welles, Esq;
Doct. Thomas Welch,
Hon. Oliver Wendell, Esq;
Doct. Moses Willard, Roxbury.[22]
apparent death, if the essential organs
of life are not injured, perhaps the
use of proper means may be attended
with as happy success, as in cases of
drowning, strangling, or suffocation.
The astonishing success which has
attended the exertions of Societies esta-
blished in other parts of the world
for the recovery of drowned persons,
and others in whom, by various acci-
dents, the vital flame seemed to be
wholly
---
IF the electrick spark is Phlogiston, or contains Phlo-
giston, may we not suppose when a volume of Light-
ning passes through, or involves an animal in its way
from a cloud, or from the earth, the portion of respi-
rable air which the animal possessed, will be immedi-
ately surcharged with Phlogiston: In that case, the
lungs will collapse, and all the vital functions instant-
ly cease, as in cases where animals are plunged into
inflammable air, or any other deadly vapours.
M. LAVOISIER, has proved by chemical experiments,
that only one fifth part of the atmospherick air, in
which we live, is capable of supporting life; and
therefore, should that small part be surcharged with
Phlogiston, or by any means be rendered mephitick,
the effect on such animals as may happen to be in-
volved in such air must be instant suffocation and
death, unless prevented by supplying the lungs
with good air.