You Had To Get Creative To Make Sure You Weren’t Buried Alive Prior To Modern Medicine
Now that blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory monitors are the foundations of medical care, accidentally being pronounced dead and being buried alive is not a massive fear for many. At least, I hope.
But, before the advent of such critical medical technology, figuring out if someone was really dead was kind of a guessing game.
In fact, even as recently as the early 1900s, cases of premature burials were discovered at least once a week, according to Christine Quigley’s book The Corpse: A History.
So, without modern medicine, people were forced to come up with other creative ways to ensure they did not pass out one day and end up screaming and scratching in a coffin six feet underground the next. And for the most part, innovative coffin designs became the go-to strategy.
Security Coffins
In 1868, a patent was issued to Franz Vester of Newark, New Jersey, for his ingenious invention– the security coffin.
Basically, Franz thought if we could not be sure that people had passed away, then we might as well make their exit from the ground as easy as possible.
More specifically, the coffin design included a ladder, rope, and bell. First, if anyone woke up underground, they could pull the rope which was tied to the bell outside. The ringing was supposed to alert groundskeepers that someone was alive and needed assistance.
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If no one was around to hear the chimes, though, those underground did not need to fret– because Franz considered that possibility, too.
That’s why he also included a ladder, which was supposed to allow people to independently “ascend from the grave.”
Imagine seeing that walking past a cemetery today!
The Easy Lift Coffin
By 1907, inventor Johan Jacob Toolen had also jumped on the patent bandwagon and unveiled his easy-opening casket.
Johan believed that the prematurely buried might be a bit groggy and disoriented– which was a fair assumption. Plus, they would probably want to get back on their feet as soon as possible without relying on people outside for help.
So, he decided to design a coffin with easy-to-lift lids that were light and required little strength to open.
“With very slight exertion on his part, [the presumed dead] can immediately obtain a supply of fresh air and may afterward leave the coffin,” Johan said of his invention.
Other Survival Strategies For Accidental Burial
In the eighteenth century, one English woman named Hannah Beswick left all of her assets for her doctor, Charles White.
But Hannah’s only condition for affording him the inheritance was that her body could never be buried. Ever!
Instead, Hannah had concocted a foolproof plan to ensure that her soul had truly departed and was not still trapped inside her body.
She stipulated that Charles was to check on her remains every single day until he could be one hundred percent certain that she had really died.
Of course, that was kind of a tall order for Charles. Still, though, he did it. First, Charles embalmed Hannah’s body and stored her remains in his collection of specimens.
Then, every single day for numerous years, Charles and two other witnesses would uncover Hannah’s body and confirm that she was really still dead.
Another man, named Timothy Clark Smith from Vermont, also shared Hannah’s same fear of being buried prematurely. Rather than prolonging his burial, though, he designed his own grave.
Timothy opted to include a glass window “six feet above him and centered squarely on his face.” The idea was that if he was still alive, those passing by would be able to see.
Nowadays, The Chances Of Being Buried Alive Are Slim To None
Everyone from nurses and doctors to medical examiners and funeral directors will encounter remains before they are finally set to rest.
And these professionals are well-equipped to be able to tell the difference between the deceased and those who are still kicking.
Nonetheless, for some people, the fear of perhaps slipping into a coma and somehow passing all of the “dead tests” might still be very real.
So, if that’s you, you might want to take a note out of Hannah Beswick’s playbook and detail a presumed postmortem set of guidelines. Or, design your very own coffin as Timothy Smith did.
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