Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-03-19
The PHENOMENA OF Death.

It 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 Montaigne remarks, while speculat-
ing on death, that, of all the passages
in the annals of mankind, those which
attracted and delighted him most were
the words and gestures of dying men.
eff were 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 a degree Of apprehension
proportionate to the amount of happi-
ness they are capable of afording.
With the young and vigorous the loss Of
these animal enjoyments is contemplate
ed with extreme misery; hence the Gus
tom among the early Greeks of bearing
the ifeless body of youth to the
funeral pyre at the break of morn,
"lest the sun should behold so sad a
sight as the young dead" Second, the
dread of the unknown future, also de-
pending upon the nervous temperament.
And lastly comes fear more powerful
than either, which is the dread of pain,
inherent in nature. From time imme-
mortal 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
timately 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 to
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: " 1t is
as natural to die as to be born; and to
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-
ries, and lived in the future. Thus we
find that, contrary to the generally re-
ceived opinion of even this latter day,
nature evidently designed that the end
of man should be as painless as his be-
ginning.
At birth the babe undergoes an Or
deal that, we're he conscious, would be
more trying 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
hvion, known as natures anesthesia
Painless we come, whence We know not
Painless CO. 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
"death 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
together-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 kom beneath the'head
of the dying, thus throwing the head
backward, straining the pharyngeal and
thoracic muscles, rendering the respira-
ton, already difficult, shortly impossi-
bic. A Venetian Ambassador, In the
time of Queen Mary, asserted that it
was common custom among the conn
try people to smother the dying by
means Of pillow placed over the face,
upon which leaned or sat the nearest
relative. This was founded upon the
pious belief that the short road was the
best one. This custom was handed
down from generation to generation,
parents performing it for their children
and vice versa. But perhaps the sad
dest privilege ever allowed the friends OF
dying man occurred occasionally dur
ing the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when
through executive clemency- executions
by hanging -they we're permitted to
grasp the feet of the suspended criminal
and, by clenching to the extremities,
precipitate their additional weight on
the body, thereby fastening strangula-
ton. It is needless to say that these
theories are false in both conception
and practice Death is a physiological
process, and, like all other animal func
tons, should be painless.
When the fat of death went forth, ma
tire kindly provided an anasthetic for
the body. As the end of life draws near,
the respiration becomes slowand shall
low, interrupted now and then by
deep, signing inspiration, as though the
lungs were vainly endeavoring to throw
off the palsy slowly creeping over them.
As the intervals between the inspira-
tons grow longer the blood becomes
saturated with carbonic-acid gas-the
same which is formed from burning
charcoal, whose deadly fumes have SO
often aided the suicide painlessly to de-
stroy life.
While the power of breathing is grad
ually failing, the heart. which is in close
sympathy with the lungs, begins to
contract with less force, propelling tn,