Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-10-13

inc peauuiui loFe-ht eyes.
For the ship that left the harbor
In the cain October haze
Bore lis precious freight forever
Away from my longing gaze.
The PHENOMENA or DEATH.
1t is our purpose to discuss, as briefly
as possible. some OF the most important
aspects Of dissolution. Addison said
that there was nothing in history more
imposing than, nothing so pleasing and
affecting as, the accounts of the behavior
OF eminent persons in their dying hours:
and Montague remarks, while speculat-
ing ON death, that, of all the passages
III the annals of mankind, those which
attracted and delighted him most were
the words and gestures OF dying men.
" If were a maker of books" he con-
tinues, 81 would compile register with
comments of various deaths, for he who
should teach men to die would teach
them to live" There are three elements
presented in this fear of death; First
the extinction of life's pleasures. inter
ests and hopes, to which the mind looks
forward with degree of apprehension
propOrtIOnate to the amount of happi
ness they are capable of affordinp.
With the young and vigorous the loss Of
these animal enIoyments is contemplate
ed with extreme misery hence the Gus
tom among the early Greeks of bearing
Tie l!ieless body of youth to the
funeral pyre at the break of morn.
''lest the sun should behold SO sad q
sight as the young dead. Second. the
dread of the unknown future, also de-
pending upon the nervous temperament.
And lastly comes a fear more powerful
than either, which is the dread of pain.
inherent in nature. From time imme-
moral the actual moment of dissolution
has been supposed to be accompanied
by throe of anguish, known as the
death agony" This is believed to
occur at that moment when the spiritual
and physical forces that have been SO in
tlmately blended for many years are torn
asunder-the one to molder and decay.
the other to take upon itself that new
life beyond the ken of man.
This last element properly belongs tc
the Psychologist, and as such we propose
to consider it. Sir Francis Bacon. in
one of his essays, published for the first
time in the year 1877, gave to the world
the following profound thought cit is
as natural 20 die rs to be born and tn
the little infant, perhaps, the one is as
painful as the other" In profundity of
thought and depth OF research Bacon
stepped in advance of his cCntempora-
fies, and lived in the future. Thus we
find that, contrary to the generally re-
ceivcd opinion of even this latter day,
mature evidently designed that the end
Of man should be Us painless as his be-
ginning.
At birth the babe undergoes an or
deal that, were he conscious, would be
more Try ing than most painful death.
Yet he feels it not. Born in an uncon-
scious state, the brain incapable of re-
ceiving conscious impressions, his en-
trance into this hitherto unknown world
is accomplished during state Of OBJ
llyion, known as natures an@sthesia
Painless come, whence We know not
Patr'ess we GO, whittier We know not!
From the earliest period of human
history death has been considered as
necessarily accompanied by pain SO
general is this belief that the terms
"dcath agony, -" last struggle, "pangs
of death, ETC., have been in almost
universal use IN every age and under all
conditions OF society.
Nothing could be more erroneous !;
the truth is, pain and death seldom GO
toSether-we mean the last moments OF
life OF course. death may be preceded
by weeks and even months of extreme
suffering, as occurs during certain in.
durable diseases
So exaggerated has been this notion
that it has been considered an act Of
humanity to anticipate the "death
struggle" by violence for ages it was
customary among the lower classes Of
Europe to hasten death by suddenly
jerking the pillow from beneath the head
Of the dying, thus throwing the head
backward, straining the pharyngeal and
plloiacic muscles, rendering the respira-
ton, already difficult, shortly impossi-
Bic A Venetian Ambassador, in the
inc of Queen Mary. asserted that it
was common custom among the coun-
try people to smother the dying by
aeaus II 4 pillow placed over tie face,
upon which leaned or sat the nearest
relative This was founded upon the
pions belief that the short road VAS the
best one. This custom was handed
down from generation to generation,
/ parents performing ii for their children
| and wee versa. Bat perhaps the sad
/ ,.est privilege ever allowed the friends OF
1 Z diving man occurred occasionally dur
le tie reign Of Queen Elizabeth, when
/ Through executive clemencv-eXecution
/ hy hNAging-they were permitted TO
! grasp tie feet Of the suspended criminal
1l, by clepching TO the extremities,
pr c-pitate their additional weight on
/ ,ie body. thereby Fastening strangllla-
/ ttn Il is needless to say that these
! bcor are false in both conception
/ lpd practice. Death Is q physiolog cal
/ Yu~ s, and. like all other animal func-
lions. should be painless.
w ca the fiat Of death went forth. na-
tire kiadly provided an anpsthetc for
/ the holy. As theeud of life draws near,
+ M, aspiration becomes slow and shall
4 .ov, Interrupted now aud then by q
ieep signing inspiration. as though the
ungs were vdiniy en6eavorns ~ throw
81 the palsy slowly creeping over tn, m.
! IS tie intervals between the lnspna
Z tons grow longer the blood becomes
I saturated with carbonic-acid gas tnc
s,unc which Is formed from burning
/ charcoal, whose deadly fumes have SC
often aided the suicide painlessly to de-
troy lfe
Viie tie power Of breathing is e a.
I'm ~ 'aiipe. the hsarf. which j. in close
nptbv with the lungs, begins tC
utr,ct with less force, propcliiug Tho
blood only short distance through II.
arterial channels, thus causing the ex.
tremities to grow cold.
The blood sent to the brain is not only
diminished in quantity. but it Is laden
with earbonie acid gas, which, acting OF
The nerve centers. produces a gradua
benumbing Of the cerebral gangia
thereby destroying both CONSCIOUSNESS:
and sensation. The patient gradually
sinks into deep stupor, the lips become
purple. the face cold and hvid, cold per
SEPARATION death damp collects on tke
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