The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-04-03
DEATH WITHOUT PAIN.
AN ANALYTICAL CHEMIST PRESENTS
THEORY ON THE SUBJECT.
Method Employed At the Home for
Lost Dogs-How to shufiis on
without a Pang.


let u sup.sni.. for the sake of making ths
subject clearer, that We have a pet dog
which must b. DESTROYED: anil let US take
fhe Gorsie.l creature to differen, classes Of
person ant request them 10 suggest the best
hiieans for its destruction. Let u, in the
irst INSTANCE take IL Ia that specimen Of
humanity-or inhumanity, if YOU please
which for the sake Of distinction. has been
ralled "a rough. and ask his advice. He
will, in all probability. suggest two meth
sis, which have been Very largely used, and
still are 10 some extent-nanely, hanging
pr drowning-anl he will perhaps assure
Sou that it will he but few struggles, and
then all will he over Next, take 1t to
sportsman, AMI you will be told IA shoot it:
bake ii to an apothecary. and you will be-
Itold tn USE very active porson-strych-
|nine, perhaps, or corrosive sublimate, OF
shite arsenic, or prnssie acid, take ii 10
HECTOR, and perhaps he may tell You the
zane, or he may tell you 10 give chloroform
Hrst. and drown or otherwise kill the animal
while under its influence.
RARBARous AND Cruel METHODS
Not one Of these methods can We indorse,
md We speak from experience, having wit
nassed the death Of many animals under
zach of these methods, even when applied in
he most skillful manner Drowning is
|ariarons and cruel method. The head
must he forcibly submerged in water; and
rho that has Sven the struggles and heard
,r;,, ~ half a 4 skn,,ll
|cr moment get one breath Of air. can say
hat its death was unattended with great
>nd violent pain. Can any one who has
witnessed the convulsive struggles the sud-
cn drawing up of the lower limbs toward
h. throat, the stitiel cry, the bursting eye
balls Of an animal when killed by hanging,
ny its death was painless one. As for the
krong-poison treatment, in our opinion Il is
eorse than the two just mentioned. for not
bully is the suffering most acute, but il is
Enormously prolonged. Many poor thing
have seen subjected TO what was called skill.
al treatment in this way. ami seldom have
Experienced more sickening feelings than
ehen watching the agonies Of the dying
creature. Many stout and stern heart
lave known on such occasions 10 resolve
hat they would not look upon such sights
Igain No; the death by strong poisons is
fery, very far from being humane method
yhoottlg is too slow and uncertain, AMI
ought 70 he had recourse to only under
Exceptional circumstances, when no other
methods are applicable.
There Is one other method, seldom recon-
nende,l because il is somewhat difficult Of
Duplication, but which is nevertheless
largely employed, and deserves more gen.
ral recognition. 1t is the one suggested by
DR.. Richardson, and used every week for
he destruction Of cart-loaols Of wandering
(nd worthless dog. which find their way to
he Home for Lost Dogs at Battcrsea, AMI
consists in killing chiefly by means Of the
kas known to chemists as carbonie oxide.
Under the influence Of this gas tho animal
links into an insensible sleep, from which il
lever wakes, and without the least sign Of
nin. 1t Is the form Of death so frequently
hosen by French suicides, and unwarily has
bund many victim in the weary wayfapr
tho has laid himself to sleep on the warm
ank on the leeward side Of q burning lime
BIN.
PAINLESS ErFRCfs OF CARBoSIC OXIDE.
Its application does not necessitate 80
huch additional trouble and skill rs to i.ake
impracticable or unpopular The animal
Is only to be placed In an air.tight cham
Fr connected by pipe with another cham
er in which charcoal fire Is lighted The
tolucts Of combustion pass along the pipe
the chamber in which the animal is con
he,l and before long it dies, to all external
bpearances, painless death. The quantity
corbonc oxide gas necessary for the do
ruction of an animal is very small IL
anc found that animals could live in an
mosphero containing - per cent. Of car
lnic acid, but died In one containing ~
b cent. Of carbonic oxide, and that re-
very was more difficult In the latter case
is therefore evident that but a very small
)antity Of this gas Is sufficient to cause
nth
Dr. Richardson points out that the method
b be applied to animals which are killed
supply us with food; that the flesh Of
)imals so killed Is in no way altered, and
bit the blood can I've drawn as completely
Ter as before the animal has been narcot-
ri. 1t has not yet been applied to oxen
II horses, the necessarily larger size Of the
hal chamber being in itself a difficulty.
orcover. large animals require higher
rcentagc of gas ia produce in them mar
tic effects.
The physiological effect Of carbonic oxide
y long been supposed by chemists to de-
MI on the formation Of compound Of
rbonc oxide with the haefnoglobin or
utter III the red corpuscles Of the blood, by
hich the latter ispreventsd from exercising
function as an absorbent Of oxygen. But
hatever its action may he, one thing is
rtain, that it Is really humane method Of
hughtering animals, and on this account
r hope its application will receive that at
(htion it SO richly deserves. Chemist In
hainhers' Journal.