The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-09-27
The Way People Die.

BILL ARP.
The Way People Die.
The ideal DEATH" said physician in
charge of one of the New York CITY hos.
pitfalls, to a reporter of the .Sun, "was
that of mr. .ac!e He was hale, hear.
ty mau of SO. bachelor, wealthy, and
surrounded with every comfort, in q
beautiful home not far from New York.
he arose one morning apparently in per.
feet health. His buoyancy of spirits
was noticed. lie was singing some OF
the quaint old Scotch songs Of his bov-
hood. He expected visit from me, and
he arose from the table after n hearty
and partial meal, saying that lie would
drive down to the depot, not far away,
and bring me to the house. He had the
servant bring the ponies to the door, and
refused to let the man go with him, say
ing he preferred to drive himself. He
mounted the box and drove off ut a
smart pace. The old gentleman had not
driven more than few rods from his
own house when he was met by neigh.
Dor who noticed something strange in
his appearance. His horses stopped.
The neighbor dismouhted, and went to
the side of his carriage and spoke to him.
The old gentleman did not answer. He
sat upright in his seat, holding the reins
in his hand. He was dead. He had
passed away without shock of any
kind. There was no apparent cause of
his death, which was probably OCCASION
ed by heart disease"
Dr. L.. l.. Seaman, physician-in. chief
OF Charity hospital, BlackwelPs Island,
took great interest in observing the much
vaunted death scenes of Sarah Bernhardt.
and when once started on the subject he
Ii apt 20 give q judgment OF the great
actress performances somewhat different
from the general conclusions Of the lra-
matte critics. Seaman said that Mile.
Bernhardt had seven ways of dying, and
all of them were totally unlike anything
he had ever seen IN a medical practice
covering many thousands of cases of all
kinds of death.
''Of course do not hold myself re-
sponsible for the deaths in my hospital
any more than for the Births" said DR..
Seaman. "My patients come in when
they are almost in the last moments of
life. Many are known to be absolutely
beyond hopes of recovery. But my
observation convinces me that the dra.
matists and actors have far over. estimated
the pains of death, and especially the
possibilities of great mental effort Just
previous to the moment of dissolution.
at is, in fact, about as difficult to tell
when man dies as to determined when
he goes to sleep. Death is q gradual,
not sudden process. / am speaking
now of death by disease, not of violent
death. Possibly in the represen-
tation of violent death the actors may
come somewhere near the truth, but
generally their pictures of death by dis.
ease, are, to one who knows the truth,
simply ridiculous. Dissolution is as
painless and unconscious as birth. The
approach 10 it may be protracted and
painful. There may be long and ago.
nizing scenes resulting from disordered
imagination. Death destroys one organ
after another, not all at once. The last
organs to yield are the lungs, which show
their oppression in the breathing and
produce what is termed the death rattle.
AS soon rs the lungs cease to act, the
black venous blood is no longer changed
to arterial blood, but is propelled unpu-
rified from the heart, and thus poisons
the body like narcotic. The energies
of the brain arc gradually lulled as in
the approach of sleep, and unconscious
cerebral action produces the murmur of
friends, or recollections of past life, or
reference to whatever has passed through
the mind. But tha: there is pain in
natural death have long ceased 10 be.
lieve.
THE death of healthy person is al
ways very different thing from the
death of diseased person. In cases of
accident, where persons know they must
die in very short time unless the shock
has not been too great, they preserve
their customary trains of thought; they
direct thei: affairs with composure."
"Have you ever known persons to die
in comical mood 2"
"There are historical cases. Doug.
lass Jernold is reported to have said
why torture dying creature, doctor?
and everybody remembers the dying joke
of Robert Burns: Don't let the awk.
ward squad fire over me.'"
ut must be remembered, however,
that what are called the last words of
great men may have been uttered con-
siderable time before death-either
hours or days. Some allowance must be
made for the impossibility Of procuring
testimony. When the late DR.. Besr1
died, after having become widely known
as an intelligent and educated skeptie,
his sister proclaimed that he had recant-
ed on his death-bed, and had indicated
his hope in heaven by pointing upward,
and saying: "Higker, higher" But the
attendant, who was beside DR.. Beard,
said the words, Higher" had no refer.
ence to future state of existence, but
were simply an indication that the doc.
tor wished to be raised on his pillow
~. Y Sun.