Bell as salvation!

Life in the Victorian era was by no means easy. Aside from the daily misfortunes, the general lack of hygiene, and the diseases that plagued and often decimated the population, there was also the fear that once you finished this earthly life, you would actually be “buried alive”.

The Victorian era, as the word itself tells him, was a period of English and world history marked by the reign of Queen Victoria, the longest-lived of all English monarchs.

In the early 19th century, medicine was still in its infancy. Therefore, there was a fear among the population of Europe that people might be buried alive.

Newspapers of that time were flooded with stories like this, and even doctors did not always manage to make a clear distinction between death and coma.

The frequency of such suspicions motivated the painter Antoan Virc to paint one of his most famous works. The picture shows a buried man who wakes up trapped in his grave after a serious illness.

That is why the inventor and count, Michael de Carnis, patented the invention, known as the safety case. This construction, in addition to performing the primary function of a coffin - burial, also had a large number of additional functions.

The coffin was called "Le Carnis" and was designed to provide salvation to the survivors, even though they were in agony. Bells and whistles were placed on it, which had an alarm function. The coffin had a spring whose movement would enable release from the grave.

Due to its low cost but also expediency, the invention was in great demand.

The French Society for Hygiene approved the use of this device, and the London Association for the Prevention of Premature Death was one of the sponsors of the production. A successfully used device could be reused, and it was easy for porters to carry.

However, "Le Carnis" lost support over time. The coffin was non-functional at official presentations, and often the bodies in the disintegration phase would press the spring and "get up" from the grave.

The reputation of the inventor was shaken, and he could never place his invention in the United States. However, many believe that the term "Bell as salvation" comes from this period.