A work to which we are particularly indebted for the literature of the subject is that of the late Dr. Félix Gannal, “Mort Apparente et Mort Réelle: moyens de les distinguer.” Paris, 1890. Dr. Gannal, having qualified in medicine and pharmacy, occupied himself with the business of embalming, which he inherited from his father. He employed the considerable leisure which the practice of that art left to him in compiling the above laborious work. He examined many books, pamphlets, theses, and articles, from which he cited expressions of opinion on the several points--in a lengthy form in his original edition (1868), in a condensed form in the second edition. His Bibliography is by far the most comprehensive that has been hitherto compiled. Our own Bibliography had been put together from various sources before we made use of Dr. Gannal’s. It includes several titles which he does not give; while, on the other hand, it has been considerably extended beyond its original limits by transcribing titles which we have found nowhere but in his list. The Bibliography, it need hardly be said, is much more extensive than our own reading; but it seemed useful to make it as complete as possible, whether the books had been seen by us or not, so as to show in chronological order how much interest had been aroused in the subject from time to time--in one country more than another, or in various countries together. The titles of articles in journals, which belong for the most part to the more recent period, have been taken from the Index Catalogue of the Surgeon-General’s Library, Washington, a few references being added to articles which have otherwise come under our notice. W. T. _CONTENTS._ PAGE _Preface_ _1_ _Introduction_ _9_ _CHAPTER I._ _Trance_ _21_ _CHAPTER II._ _Catalepsy_ _32_ _CHAPTER III._ _Animal and So-called Human Hibernation_ _40_ _CHAPTER IV._ _Premature Burial_ _51_ _CHAPTER V._ _Narrow Escapes from Premature Burial_ _64_ _CHAPTER VI._ _Formalities and their Fatal Consequences_ _105_ _CHAPTER VII._ _Probable Cases of Premature Burial_ _113_ _CHAPTER VIII._ _Predisposing Causes and Conditions of Death-Counterfeits_ _120_ _CHAPTER IX._ _Premature Burial and Cremation in India. The Towers of Silence_ _129_ _CHAPTER X._ _The Danger of Hasty Burials_ _144_ _CHAPTER XI._ _The Fear of Premature Burial_ _153_ _CHAPTER XII._