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

1
Ii | had strength to hold pen, l
would write how easy and delightful il
Is to die p were the last words of the
celebrated surgeon, William Hunter
and Louis XIV. is recoi d as saying
with his last breath 81 thought dying
had been more difficult"
That the painlessness OF death is due
to some benumbing influence acting on
the sensory nerves may be inferred from
the fact that untoward external sur
roundings rarely trouble the dying.
On the day that Lord Collingwood
breathed his last the Mediterranean was
| tumultuous those elements which had
been the scene of his past glories rose
and fell IN swelling undulations, and
seemed as If rocking him asleep. Capt.
Thomas ventured to ask if he was dis
turbed by the tossing of the ship. "No.
Thomas, he answered, 81 am in q state
that nothing can disturb me more-I am
dying; and am sure it must be con.
solatory to you and all who love me to
see how comfortably lam coming to my
end. In the quarterly ReUieaU there
Is related an instance of criminal who
escaped death from hanging by the
breaking of the rope. Henry w., OF
France, sent his physician to examine
him, who reported that after a moments
suffering the man saw an appearance
like fire, across which appeared a beau
tiful avenue of trees. When a pardon
was mentioned the prisoner coolly re-
Piled that it was not worth asking for.
Those who have been near death from
drowning, and afterward restored to con-
seriousness. assert that the dying suffer
but little pain. Capt Marryatt states
that his sensations at one time, when
nearly drowned, were rather pleasant
than otherwise. 1.-THE first struggle
for life once over, the water closing
around me assumed the appearance Of
waving green fields. 1t is not
feeling OF pain, but seems like sinking
down, overpowered by sleep, in the
long, soft grass of the cool meadow"
Now, this is precisely the condition
presented In death from disease. In
sensibllity soon comes ON, the mind loses
consciousness of external objects, and
death rapidly and placidly ensues from
asphyxia.
In spite of the natural antagopism to
death, moments reflection will show
that it is as much physiological pro
cess as life; the two terms are correla-
tive, the degree of vital activity depend
ing on the extent of molecular death &C.
curing at the same time. Strange as
the paradox may seem, without death
we cannot live; every thought emanat-
ing from the brain, every blow struck
by the arm, is accompanied by destruc-
nf NJ
bioplasmatic or living matter which en-
tefs into the formation of every animal
tissue is constantly terminating into
cells (the origin of all life), and as con-
stantly passing into decay, their places
being taken by other protoplasts, thus
keeping up the "active dance of life."
This assassination, or interstitial
death, occurs to such an extent that ma
ture, in her wisdom, has provided excre-
mentory organs for the purpose of re-
moving from the system the effete
material thus produced. Every living
structure, after passing through certain
stages OF development, maturity and,
finally, retrogression, must come to an
end. This may be but the ephemeral
exIsJence Oh sUine vi tIIe IOwef IUrIus VI
fungi which, born in the cool of the
morning, die as the sun goes down or,
like the famous dragon-tree of Tenerif1e,
may outlast the pyramids that keep
watch by the Nile.
The last topic for consideration is the
pseudopia OF death, or visions of the
dying. This subject, coming under the
realm Of mental science, properly be-
longs to metaphysics rather than phys
ecIy,
advanced to explain these phenomena,
but they must remain as hypOiheses at
best, tor they are not susceptible OF
demonstration. 1t is not an uncommon
occurrence for the dying, after living
some hours in q semi conscious condi-
ton, to start up suddenly, and, with
glowing face, point eagerly to some
object invisible to the bystanders, and,
with animated voice and gesture, state
that they behold the glories of heaven or
the familiar countenance of some friend
long since dead.
The question naturally arises as to
whether these conditions are merely the
fantasies of discrdered and fast disor-
ganizing brain, or are the dying actually
permitted a momentary view of those
The traditions and superstitions of
the past have led to popular belief in
the latter theory. Shakespeare expressed
the sentiment Of his day when he placed
in the mouth Of the dying Queen Kath-
arne these words:
slw you not even now blessed troop
Invite me to a banquet; those bright faces
Cast Thousand beams upon me ike the sunf
Science, with its iconoclastic hand,
has swept away these pleasing fancies,
| and in their places has constructed a
/ fabric founded on analogy. Iu the an
nsthesia induced by chloroform IA condi-
| ton is produced closely resembling that
Immediately preceding death (caused by
the carbonic-acid poisoning Ii which
visions are constantly presented to the
| mind, the character OF which depends
upon the natural temperament Of the
| individual. Thus it often occurs that a
| patient, when under tho influence Of
chloroform, has beatiiic visions similar t.
| those of the dying. 1t is my fortune to
have at present patient who invariably
when under the influence of chlofoforn
asserts that she sees angels lowering
| around her bed. The impression is sc
/
| if the reality of these visions is disputed
| Tho asphyxia produced by burning char
coal is ofttimes accompanied by disturbed
| fancies similar to those preceding death
and the natural inference is that they
| are the resultant in both cases of ont
| and the same cause. During the last
| moments Of life the mind gradually loset
| cOeuizance OF external surroundings anC
is raVt III elf-contempiation. Thougl
| still in a semi-conscious condition Tho
Nc, ping OF friends and the voices of at
tendants fall upon dull ears. The eye
lids are closed, tue pupils slightly con
tracted and rolled upward and inward
The dying man has forgotten the pres
mt, for he is living in the past On,
10y enc the events Of 8 whole life appear
its joys and sorrows, reIehance Ions
since forgotten, rise before him IL
startling distiDctiveness, and then dis
appear in the swiftly moving panorama
The familiar faces OF the ffiends of hi
youth are thrown upon the mental ret
ina. their CHEEKY voices reverberate il
his ears, and the thought of meeting
these friends in the near future IS per
haps his last conscious impression. A
this drowsiness creeps over the system
these images, nodded from the past
become rs realities to the disorderet
imagination. The germs from whicl
originate these strange combination
have probably been lying dormant 70
years in the registering ganglia of tn
brain.
These death-bed visions are Of com