In 1915, these complications were not yet apparent in clinical practice.

Death was the cessation of heartbeat and breathing, and this was considered determinate.

The concern about premature burial, which had been acute in the nineteenth century, was considered largely resolved by the early twentieth century through better medical practice.

And yet the Dunbar story — whether true or legend — points to the possibility that the resolution was not complete, that in specific circumstances (rural practice, racial inequality, a hot summer day, an epileptic seizure) the practical application of the cardiopulmonary definition of death might still produce errors.

The Zombie in African American Culture