Competition for the best way to prove that a person is dead

The winner received a 1500 gold frankov



In 1839 the Academy of Sciences in Paris, decided to find a way to determine that someone actually died once and for all - before he was buried. Up to this point in medicine such conventional method was not in difficult cases, doctors had to call for help imagination: for example, to leave the body for 3 days in a warm room, and if it starts to decay, it means exactly dead.

Toxicologist named Pietro Manni offered a prize of 1,500 gold francs to whose idea will meet the requirements of the university, and would be the best criterion for determining death. The contest was called "Manny Award", and there have been three attempts to find someone who will offer the right idea.



The winner was Dr. Eugene W. Bush. He used a relatively recent invention, which was originally developed for the examination and diagnosis of diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory system of the person - a stethoscope. His idea was simple: to listen to a man's heart with a stethoscope, and if it does not fight for two minutes, the man is definitely dead.

Compared to other proposed methods (pouring boiling water body, popping nose man to the fire and smoke enemas) method Bush seems more effective and less uncomfortable for people who, perhaps, are not dead.

However, he was not accepted without protest that many doctors say that older doctors who do not hear so well, can make a mistake. Other solemnly claimed that the practice can meet real people who have no heart. But it is worth noting that since detractors say, the losers in 1500 francs Bush.

via factroom.ru