The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-10-21
HICKMAN FULTON COUNTY

>yterial channels, thus causing the ex-
Apnities to grow cold.
he blood sent to the brain is not only
dlmlSshed in quantity, but it is laden
with calQonic- acid gas, which, acting on
the herVeeenters, produces a gradual
nenumolng\of the cerebral ganglia,
thereby destroying both CONSCIOUSNESS
ana sensation. The patient gradually
SINKS INTO deep stupor, the lips become
| purple, the face cold and livid, cold per-
sspiratlon death damp collects On the
forehead, film creeps over the eornea.
'and, with or without eonvulsiors. the
dying man sinks into his last sleep. As
the power of receiving conscious impress
sions is gone, the death struggle must
be automatic. Even IN those cases
where the senses are retained to the last,
the mind is usually calm and collected,
aud the body free from pain.
. II had strength to hold ren. I
Is to die r were the last words Of 'ttfes
celebrated surgeon, William Hunter
and Louis XIV. is recorded as saying
with his last breath " l 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
roundlngs 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 glOrles rose
and fell in swelling undulatons, and
seemed as if rocking him asleep. Capt.
Thomas ventured to ask if he was dis
turbed by the tossing of the ship. mo,
Thomas" he answered, " | am ID state
that nothing can disturb me mofe-I am
dying and / am sure it must be con-
solatory to YOU and all who love me to
see how comfortably l am coming to my
end" In the Quarterly Reuie1C there
is related an instance of criminal who
escaped death from hanging by the
breaking of the rope. Henry ", o:
France, sent his physician to examine
him, who reported that after moments
suffering the man saw an appearance
like fire, across which appeared beau
tiful avenue of trees. When a pardon
was mentioned the prisoner cooly re-
piled that it was not worth asking for.
Those who have been near death nom
drowning, and afterward restOredto con-
sciousness. 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. The first struggle
for life once over, the water closing
around me assumed the appearance Of /
waving green fields. II 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 aud placidly ensues from /
asphyxia.
In spite of the natural antagonism to
death, moments reflection viii show
that 1t is as much a physiological pro-
cess life the two terms are. CORES
tive, the degree of vital activity depend
ing on the extent of molecular death oc-
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-
ton OF nervous or muscular tissue. The
bioplasmatlc or living matter which en-
ters 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 p-otoplasts, 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
existence of some of the lower forms of
fungi which, born in the cool of the
morning, die as the sun goes down; or,
like the famous dragon-tree of Teneritfe,
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
iology. Various theories have been
advanced to explain these phenomena,
but they must remain as hypotheses 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-
tion, 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 disordered and fast-disor-
ganizing brain, or are the dying actually
permitted n momentary view OF those
mysteries hitherto unknown.
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-
arine these words:
Saw YOU not even now blessed troop
Invite me 10 a banquet; those bright faces
Cast thousand beams upon me like the sun?
Science, with its iconoclastic hand,
has swept away these pleasing fancies,
and in their places has constructed q
fabric founded on analogy. In the an-
sesthesia induced by chloroform a condi-
ton Is produced closely resembling that
Immediately preceding death (caused by
the carbonic-acid pOisoning) in 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 the influence of
chIorofor1n, has peaunc visions slmIar 10
those of the dying 1t is my fortune to
have at present patient who invariably
when under the influence Of chloroform
asserts that she sees angels lowering
around her bed. The impression is so
strong that she becomes much annoyed