The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1869-04-06
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A physician q Besriy forty years eI.
ispsirs praeiies ID Massachusetts, ~
oeHiiy stated, a. to- result n bis obser.
vauon. that. d. the time q death. thsr,
Dsver vAs sny unvlllingnsss 70 die. -
This rssark being made in The pres,
ehos u tbe Rev DR. Addison. q Trni,
y Church. Washington CITY, called
frOm han The reionder iha, be Ls.isy-
I'd il 10 be true; aud be cited, as an u.
lustrAiiop. the case q young man, in
tie iull possession q al bis powers,
physical aud mental. struck at his bo
tel, bni few honrs before, with NOR,
tai disease. aud Informed that be could
no, 1--we tili night who accepted the in
eviiable. as il prepared for il by some
sabtls process Of nature. with entire
ealmne4s. Death is 50 dreadful to those
who look 90, that it Is natural to trans.
fer the feeling 70 the one dying. But
10 al cases where acute pain is not
wearing on, life, careful diagnosis
vii show both the approach aud pres
ebce Of doath TO be positively pleasant
as pleasant as the approach aud
presence of sleep, OF course this does
not include violent death. And yet
capital punishment, wounds received
from casualties OF IN battle, drownir z,
starving, treezing, OF being torn by wild
beasts, cause, when productive o. death,
less pain than is usually supposed
DR. Adam Clarke, the conan eutator,
was recovered from drowning. He
states "All my views and id as seemed
instantly and entirely changed, and /
had sensations 0f the most perfect fe-
licity that It is possible, independent Of
rapture, for the human mind to feel
had no paiu from the moment / was
submerged kind Of green color be.
came visible to me; a multitude Of OBJ
jects we're seen not one Of which, how
ever, bore the least analogy to any
thing had ever beheld before"
Captain John Vaughan Graham, Of
the royal navy, who went down in the
George, aud Was resuscitated after
more than tree hours inanimation,
states that he "had no sense whatever
Of suffocation. He saw the sun shin
ing through the water, and had a
dreamy feeling that he should see it no
more, But he felt no fear, nor any de-
sire for rescue. He had delight in
cropping at the bottom Of the water,
aud feeling Of anger towards those
who drow him oat Thoro was no pain,
and the "reminiscences OF all the events
Of his life produced peasurable sensa-
tions.
DR. Livingstone, the African traveller,
gives the following account Of being
seized by lion, and Of his sensations
Starting and looking half around,
saw the hon just in the act Of springing
upon NE, l was upon little height;
he caught my shoulder as he sprang,
and we both came to the ground below
together. Growing horribly, close TO
my ear, he shook me as a terrier dog
does a rat. The shock produced stu
por similar to that which seems to be
felt by mouse after the first shake of
a cat. II caused sort Of dreaniness,
in which there was no sense Of pain or
feeling Of terror. though quite conscious
Of all that was happening. II was like
what patients partially under the inAu-
ence Of chloroiorm describe, who see all
the operations but feel not the knife
This singular condition was not TIE re-
suit Of any mental process. The sake
aLnihlated fear, and allowed no sense
OF horror in looking around at the
beast This peculiar state is probably
produced in all animals killed by the
carnioora, and, II SO. is merciful pro
vision OF our benevolent Creator for
lessoning the pain Of death. Turning
round to relieve myself Of the weight,
as he bad one paw ON the back Of my
head. saw his eyes directed to Mebrl-
we, who was trying to shoot Tim. His
gun missed fire, and the hon immcdi.
ately left me
II IS not quite certain that dying Al
tie stake IS Intensely painful after tho
FIRST scorch Of the flames. II it we're, j
is hardly possible 20 accodni for the en-
darance u some Of the English mar
tyrs Bishop Hooper lived IN the hr'
forty -fve minutes, and died With per
feet ealmuess His legs we're eharrec
aud his body blistered before the pil'
was entirely igpiied TIC wind 81, vii |
the flames aside, and the fire bein,
tsice re.fea With iaggo,s. Ridley A
fret struggled in agony. but afterward'
became quiet, as i the senses Of pair
were gone. Robert Smith, being ~ell
nigh half barnsd, and clustered togeih
er Ike black Goals, snndenly rose up
night before toe crosd, lifted up BIZ
srus. A. Il in defiance Of bis enemies
and clAppel bis hands together To
deed il is not certain that excessive
bodily pain does nos ead to@ards death