The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-07-13

deep slupor, the lips become purple, the
facs cold and liVid, cold perapiratior
(~dsGIh.damp) collects on the forehead,
dim Q, eeps over the coFnea, and, with 0l
without conVulsions, the DYING mar sink
into his last sleep, As the power OF 10
ceiyirg conscious impressions 10 gone,
TaE DEATH sfRuaoLE Must IE AUTOMATIC,
Even In those cIses where the senses
Srs retained to the last, the mlnd 10 usually
calm and collected, and the body free
from pain.
I'LL hsd strength to bold q pen,
Would write how easy and delightful II Ia
TO dit !" We'e the last words Il the cele.
nraled pu'geou, William Hunter; and
Louie XIV is recorded as saying with hia
last breath, ~ thought dying had been
more d. ficult,"
That the painlsss1ess Of death Is due
to some benumbing influence actlng on
The sensoTy nerves, may be inferred from
the fsct that uDt0ward ex'ernal surround
Toys rarely trouble the dying.
On the day that Lord Oollingwood
hreathed his last, the Mediterranean was
Inmullunus; those elements which had
been the scene OF his paAt glsries rose and
tell 10 swelling fluctuations, and seemed as
II rocking him 10 sleep. Captain Thomn
Ventured 70 usk II he was dIslu'b I'D BY the
tossing Of the ship. "No, Thomas" he
answered: II am now in q state that
nothing can disturb me more, | sm dyinRi
and l sm sure 1t must be cInsolAtOry to
YOU and all that love me, 10 see how COM
fn'tsbly I am . inning To my end" Ia the
Qua, trv RVisS there u related ~ In.
,L4ncs II q criminal who esCsDed death
from hanging ny the breaking Il the
rope. Henry ~, Of France tent his ply
.iclan TO examine him, who TepoT ed that
.lEer a momsnl's suffering the man saw
an appearance liEs hre, across which ap.
neaIed q most beautiful avenue OF trees,
When q pardon was mentioned the RIis
Nner c)oIly replied tina! II was not worth
asking for. Those who have been near
death from drowning, and Afterwards re
stored 10 consciousness, assert that
THR DYING uETSR But LITTLE PAIN
Capt. M,rryatt states that the sensa'
ions OF one time when nearly drowned
we're rather pleasant thOn otherwise,
THE fret struggle for life once over, the
water closing around me assumed The aP
psarancs Of waving green fields. .
Il 10 not a feeling Oi paiu, but seems q
-IukiuR down, O%ve'p0Wered by sleep, In
he long, soft grass Of the cool meadow,
Now, this 10 precisely the condition pre-
senled In death tom disease, InGensibili.
~ o comes GU, the mind loses clDsci.
nusnts4 OF external objects, and deaih
rapidly and plAcidly ensGes from aSphy xia,
Ia spite OF the nalural antSgnnt m 10
death, q moments n 4 .ctiou will show
that II IL as much a physiological process
az life; the two terms are cOFTelativs, the
degree nj vital sc'ivi'v depending on hs
,rent Of MOLECULAR death occurring utthe Some
time Strange Is the paradox may seem,
without death we cannot ltvei every
thought emsnsting from the bfniu, every
blow struck BY the arm, 10 accompanied
by destruction OF nervous or muscular
Issue. The bioplasmstiC or living mater,
which enters into the t,Tmation II every
animal tissue, Ia constantly YermAnstlpg
into cells THE origin Of all hfe), aud as
constantly passing into d~ecay,-their
places berg taken BY other protOplsstR,
thus keepinR upihe 'aCtve dance Of lie "
This dIsasslmilalion, or interstltial
death, occurs to such sn extent that Ma
luEe, In her wisdpm, has provided ex.
Crematofy organs for the purpose Of 10.
moving from the system the ttfste mate
risl thus produced. Every living stfuc.
turs, alter passing through certain stages
Of development, maturity and, finally,
refrigeration, must come TO an eUd. This
may he but the ephemeral existence Of
some Of the lower forms Of fungi, which,
born 10 the cool Of the morning, die "a the
sun Voes down; or, 90 the famous dfPg IN.
tee Of Tenailife, NAV outlsst The ~ Ta.
mids that keep watch by the Nile.
The last topic for consideration Is the
pseudopia Of death, or
VISIONS ~ Il DYING.
This subj 1t, coming under the realm Of
mental t~cience, properly belongs to meta.
physics rather than to physiology vSrious
theories have been advanced TO explain
these phsuomspS, but they must remain
Va hypotheses at beet, for they are not
susceptible Of demonstration. Its not an
uncommon occurrence for the dying, after
ying some hours In q Pemi.conscious con.
diti0n, to BtPrt up suddenly, and, with
glowing fee, point sAVOrIy 10 gope Of ct
invisible 10 The b%VstAndeis, and with Sni.
ms,ed voice aOd gesture safe that they
behold the gloriss Of Heaven, or the "a.
miISr c~oHatslApgs Qi acme friend long
since dead.
The question naturally stlses as TO
whether these conditions are merely the
iaDtssies of q dipotdsfed and last disor-
RanlE'ns brain, or are the dying equally
permitted Q momentary view Of those
myserles hitherto unknOWn9
The traditions and s%upentitions Of the
past have led IN 0 popular belief In the
latter theory. Ahskspeare expressed the
feptiment Of his dSy'Wbsn hS placed 10
,he mouttss q the dying Qieen Katharine
these words!
gav tou ret tvSu noW 4 bNtsNd troop
invite me 70 BUG 1t, Wao1r , iEhl iIctS
Cas- IhOuIAhd bSsnIs upon me like The SIbH
Science, With lie iDconorlisl baud, has
swkPr AWAY THESE PLEASING FAHctES,
and In their places has constructed q IA.
brio founded on analogy. In the suesthe
ala induced BY Chloroi0tm q condition ID
produced closely resembling that preCed-
Ing death (caussd by the CafboDic acid
~poisopiug), iu which visions ara cohstsnt.
" presented to the mind, the character Of
which depends upon the natural temper.
ament Of the individual. Thus It often
occurs thSt q patient, when Under the In
Huepce of chlorotOfm, has beAtiHc Wis.
IONS similar to those Of the dytug. II la
my fortune 10 have al pteeent a patient
who invariably, when under the Influence
Of chlorotofm, asserts that she sees angels
lowering around her bed. The impression
is 90 strong that she becomes much an.
nnyed II the realty Of these visions are
diipured. The asphJ xia produced By
burning charcoal Ia ottimes ACC Impaired
by disturbed fAncies similar TO those pre-.
ceding death aud the natural infarence Is,
that they are the resultant III bIth cases
Of one aud the same ci1se. Dating the
| st momsntS Of life the mind gradually
49,. ....Ia.naa - aSIakaal aasauauN