The Osceola times., 1885-10-10

irom opiates, and thus a necessarilv
hastened one, the public paid no regard
10 the fact that it was SO arranged no.
cause they had and have perfect conf.
uence in his physicians. But suppose
the practice TO become general, do you
suppose that serious errors of dia0nosis
would not be made? l can tell you of
hundreds OF cases where the DIAGNOSIS
OF diseases is directly contradicled by
the autopsy, and where the true na,ure
OF the complaint was not suspeeted
even when the patient was in eriysm;s y
Another physician thought that bu.
mainly required allevation from pain.
even where life was shortened bv the
use OF sedatives. But" said he. Htbis
Is true only in those cases where The re-
suit will be death within limited period.
ana the very wisest judgment must he
used IN the matter. As rule narcotic
drugs shorten life. and the fact that a
patient suffers pain does not in itself
furnish an excuse for using them. As
Tor directly killing man to save him
IRON suffering, the responsibility is. in
my Judgment, too great for any single
medical man to assume
An old practitioner related case in
which young Boston physician had
given patient heavy doses of opiates
Tor qnleting and shortening" a case of
painful and, as he believed, incurable
disease, and was surprised TO find that
the patient got well. He lived for seven
years after he had begged to be allowed
10 Ole from euthanasia. 'And the most
curious part of the matter" said the
doctor, 'lay in the fact that the opiates
cured him. In so carefully treated case
as that of General Grant euthanasia was
perfectly proper, but in more obscure
cases of disease, in the hands Of less emil
nent physicians, there would be ele
ments of danger"
A physician of large general expe.
rlence said that sixty per cent of the pa
uents who die while under the treatment
OF able modern physicians are at the time
OF death under the direct influence of
narcotic oralcoholic stimulation. "Many
persons, said he, "who would not give
their direct consent to the killing of u
sick friend, and it is killing, cannot find
1t IN their hearts to permit him to die in
agony; they know that the doctor is
giving the needed narcotics, and they
ignore the fact. To nv mind the doctor
would neglect his duty did he fail to
give the sedatives called for in the case;
doctors can not cure man they should
make death easy as soon as they are
convinced that the case is hopeless"
Two of the doctors thought that the
practice Of effective Stimulation" as
they called the fastening of death bv
narcotics, had grown so rapidly that
there was danger that it might be used
without due consideration. They
thought the advice of at least two con-
sulting physicians of recognized ability
should be had before any course of mar
cotics designed to end in death should
be entered upon. They held that the
practice was already carried to its full
limit, and thought that the unquestion-
ing attitude of the public concerning the
open stimulation Of General Grant, how
ever proper 1t may have been, would
encourage doctors of incautious or in
consequential habits to go too far in the
matter.
One of our Oldest physicians thought
that one Of the chief difficulties in the
practical use of euthansia was to decide
where aud how to limit it. "In the ar
ticle YOU have shown me-" said he, "a
requisite for the practice of anasthesia
consists in the consent of the patient.
But suppose the patient to be an insane
person, who is about to experience long
and agonizing death. He is incapable
of assent or dissent. Would you, for
that reason, deprive him of the benefits
of euthanasia' And how long would it
be before your euthanasic principle
would be extended to the hopeless par
alytics who are, as your writer says, of
no use to others and burden to them
selves?' Would you kill them, also?
And where does the law come imp II
you shorten mans life You kill him.
Has doctor the right to kill man any
more than you haveP have often felt
il within my line of duty to give mar
cotics in hopeless cases. while knowing
that they must necessarily and eonsid-
erably shorten the life of my patient. |
have often asked myself how far would
bclcgally responsible for doing so should
confess the act. have often thought,
also, since the practice of deathbed
stimulants has become so common and
doctors so nYmeroua. that cases might
easily arise where an INSCRIPTIONS ply
sician would be tempted to help man
rid himself of his wife-or his mother
in-law.h
"What method would you propose,
asked the reporter, for keeping euthan-
asia within iustifable limitsPn
"Oh, Idon't know" said the medical
man. GLOW would it do to get two
medical certificates stating the certain
approach of death, and Judges per-
NIT to kill dying man with narcoticsP"
Y S,ui