Alive in the Sheffield Mortuary - Elaine Wildsmith 26th February 1970
I must admit that when I saw this article in The Scotsman dated 27th February 1970, I was rather incredulous. The lady concerned. Elaine Wildsmith, had been certified dead as a result of a drug overdose and had been taken to the mortuary. Purely by chance her arrival at the mortuary coincided with the installation of a life-detecting machine, the first one to be installed in the country. And it immediately detected signs of life emanating from the recently deceased body of Elaine Wildsmith. She was transferred to Shefield's Royal Infirmary where further attempts were made to resuscitate Elaine but after an hour, she was certfied dead for the second time.
The Daily Record dated 27th February 1970 carried a more detailed report under the title "Life After Death"
The inquest on Elaine was reported in the Daily Telegraph dated 4th March 1970 and it is interesting to note that the Coroner Dr Herbert Pilling made no reference to the circumstances that arose in the mortuary when Elaine first arrived there. Dr Pilling stressed that Elaine was "clinically dead" when she was admitted - she could not sustain an independent existence. But to many people, Elaine was still alive in as much as her heart was sending electrical impulses that were detected by the cardiscope. These impulses must have been significant enough to warrant further attempts to revive her. It is a controversial area that is still fiercely debated today. And as a footnote I should add that Dr Pilling wrote an article to a medical journal on this subject.
Dr Pilling's Obituary
Sources
Daily Record dated 27th February 1970
The Scotsman dated 27th February 1970
The Daily Telegraph dated 4th March 1970
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