Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-08-02
SENATOR HILL's CONDITION
His Resignation and His
Hopeless Disease.
Atlanta lGa.lLetter.

In modern annals there has not been a
death 80 full of horrors as that which Geor.
gia's great orator and statesman, Benjamin
Harvey Hill, is now suffering, nor has the
resignation and christian philosophy exhib-
tied been excelled. Slowly dying of one of
the most loathsome of diseases, he is yet
cheerful, patient and resigned. Talking to-
day with his physician and son-in-law, DR.
Ridley, learned the details of the case as
now presented. The patient is put to sleep
every night about s o'clock with a hypoder-
mic injection of morphine, and does not
awake until IL o'clock the following morn
ing. He is then assisted to dress, and sits
during the day in an easy chair placed near
the window of pavilion attached to the
north side of his residence, with window and
door opening to the east on veranda. There
he sits the whole day, the subject of the most
assidious attentions from the devoted family.
He reads little in the newspapers, his mail
and some devotional works, writes down his
passing impressions, indites letters and
communicates with those to whom his al
most inarticulate murmurings are unintelli-
fgible. Tree grains of morphine are admin
istered daily, the patient never being allowed
10 come thoroughly from under the influence.
His food consists of milk, into which the
yelks of eggs have been beaten, aud little
whisky added. About three quarts of this
mixture is passed into the patients stomach
every day through tube, no portion of the
fluid touching his palate. The cancer, for
such it is acknowledged to be by all but
those who have not had any connection with
the case has destroyed all the tissues of his
throat and mouth on the left side, as we'll as
the lower Jaw or sub-maxillary bone. The
opening is so large that two or three fingers
pass freely up into the mouth from below,
and the palate can be seen when
the patient Ia lying down and one
him from the feet. The
outer carotid artery is exposed, and pulsation
is plainly seen. The soft or connective It's
sue has been eaten away, and only such
tough elastic substances as compose the
walls of the artery are left intact. What is
left of the tongue is attached to the right
side by a very slender ligament, and constant
fear ia felt that it will become detached and
fall into the patients throat when asleep,
and thus end his suffering while yet sufficient
strength exists for a further continuance of
the contest with the dread destroyer. His
mouth is kept filled with absorbent snd an
tiseptic cotton, which is frequently changed,
as is the dressing on the outside. For three
wears Mr. Hill suffered with an ulcerous sore
on his tongue before he told even his wife.
Then, by advice of his friends, he consulted
DIR. Bayard, an uncle of the Delaware sem
ator, who practices Homeopathy in New
York. For eight months this physician
treated MIN, anu Feporttu Constant lHfPfofe-
ment, but the patient was growing worse,
and he finally realized that be was in dam
ger, and placed himself in the hands of DR.. |
Gross and the Phiiadelphia Hospital staff. |
No internal remedy is now given, nor has |
any been administered since the abandon |
ment of the French cancer cure, which |
consisted in the injection into th |
blood of purified csrboiic acid. the
object being to destroy the cancerous
germs in the blood. The evidences IF the
sufferers entire resignation are numsrous
The other day he called his son Charles to
him. 81 am soon going to better land
Charles,D be said; "don't you wish you could I
come along too? These are the happiesf |
dsys of my life" Such is the tenor Of all !
his uttersnces to his family and friends. In
writing TO an old servant, now in Athens,
Ga, the other day, he reiterated the remark
that this was the happiest period of his ex-
istence. He might have been guilty Of
errors in his worldly intercourse, but now
felt fully prepared TO meet his Maker. The
Lord had given him good long notice, and
he was fully prepared for the summons when
it came. The final change, it is now thought,
will come from sheer exhaustion. If the
morphine treatment was suspended he would
soon sink from the effects of pain. Now all
that can be done is to alleviate the suffering
and prolong the few days which, in spite Of
his terrible condition, he seems to prize more
than those upon which he gained his glory.