Attila, King of the Huns, and one of the most celebrated leaders
of the German hosts which overran the Roman Empire in its
decline, and whose enormous army and name inspired such terror
that he was called the "Scourge of God," was supposed to have
died in coitus. Apoplexy, organic heart disorders, aneurysms, and
other like disorders are in such cases generally the direct cause
of death, coitus causing the death indirectly by the excitement
and exertion accompanying the act.
Bartholinus, Benedictus, Borellus, Pliny, Morgagni, Plater, a
Castro, Forestus, Marcellus Donatus, Schurig, Sinibaldus,
Schenck, the Ephemerides, and many others mention death during
coitus; the older writers in some cases attributed the fatal
issue to excessive sexual indulgence, not considering the
possibility of the associate direct cause, which most likely
would have been found in case of a necropsy.
Suspended Animation.--Various opinions have been expressed as to
the length of time compatible with life during which a person can
stay under water. Recoveries from drowning furnish interesting
examples of the suspension of animation for a protracted period,
but are hardly ever reliable, as the subject at short intervals
almost invariably rises to the surface of the water, allowing
occasional respiration.
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