The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-01-12
is DEATH PAINLESS?
WHAT PHYSICIANS GIVE AS THE
RESULT OF OBSERVATIONS.

RESULT Or OBSERVATIONS.
They Agree That Death. US General Rule,
Is Painless-The Appearance of Physical
Suffering oIorc Seeming Than Real.
Some Cases.
DR.. r. B. Ridley said: II think it depends
upon the cause of DEATH think after pro-
tracted sickness where the strength is ex-
hausted, as in long fevers, and the nerve
forces are weakened, death is painless.
think sudden death is painless. have seen
patients who died, am satisfied, in physical
distress Just at the moment when death re-
leased tho body, believe it is painless
Dr. u. u. Roy said: ''lt is my opinion that
death in tho 'articulo mortis is painless, and
my reason for this is that vitality has so
waned that there is not enough nerve force
lett to produce the sensation of pain. You
Will see death come in this way a child or
a grown person will stretch himself with his
hands clenched and face distorted as if in
great agony, and just US soon as death comes
there will be Il complete relaxation, with per-
fect calmness and placidity of every feature" !"
Or. f. II. Orme: "1s death painless Z
Certainly-as sleep is painless. Death is
the extinction of sensibility, release from
pain. The experience Of persons approach.
Ing death is different thing, and differs
With the disease, the ago and other circum-
stances. The road to death is often rough
anu hard, but its asperities are generally
sottcncd i'll proportion as tho end is near, and
ootunded or paralyzed sensiblities are the
result. 1t is i'll the early stage of fatal sick
ness that suffering and apprehension are the
grcatest-rc.axation and indifference usually
following toward the close. The idea of a
death struggle is n fiction, and the death
rattle is due to paralysis"
DIR. W. c. Jernigan said: sit is owing very
much TO the cause of death. Some cases are
evidently painful, but think the great ma.
jority are painless. | remember the case of
one prominent merchant who had congestion
OF the bowels lie felt no pain, and a half
hour before his death it was difficult TO con.
vince him that he was dying. lie laughed, at
the idea and he sat up in bed and signed his
viii In IS lcsibie characters as he ever made,
writing beautiful hand
VI have seen cases of death by violence
that We're apparently very painful, but
doubt very much whether those persons suf.
fered any very great pain at the time. The
appearance OF suffering is moro i'll the nature
OF a reflex action than the result of pain.
think you may say that III the great ma ioritv
of cases death is painless. am speaking in
reference to the article of death, the act of
pain. In cases of bcmorrhase there is no
dying In sudden death think thcro is no
pain; it is more tired feeling than ANYTHING
else. The death of consumptives. as an
ordinary thing, is comparatively painless.
They really seem to welcome death Death
from any e1haustinS disease is more tired
feeling than one of pain"
DIR. w. d. Bizzell said: II have seen men
die from almost everything, and think the
most shocking death is that in a malignant
case of yellow fever. The man seems abso.
lutcly indifferent to his terrible condition,
and lies there, seeing the black vomit and re-
alizin9 what it means, seeming to be in his
senses and answering questions intelligcntly,
but apparently not caring at all.
"Thc pain or painlessness of death is
question that engaged my attention good
deal ia my earlier practice ] remember
going through hospital with Il professor
VIXEN Twas a student We ecame upon Il poor
fellow ;yho was in the last agony of death
from consumption. The professor. who was
Once thou ,ht to have consumption and after
ward died of lung trouble. seemed to lave
special interest i'll the case, and remarked to
TIE iutleats, We'll, gentlemen, d atn h2s its
tc!' rs TO most Elcn Us long as 1t rc:.i:.i.s ut
IL distance, an! we rarely haze the privilege
Of choosing tie route by which we shall Jour
ncy to meet it. Here yoa Sc, Il man who is
travelling, i'll My opinion, as easy a route Gs
Ela:i can So Witt! his senses about hi.a. the
passage fvoin life into death i; 50 casy that
,,,1 ;. al,
system. Tho poor fellow looked up and said,
We'll, doctor, when you get where am you
won't think So
"1n a few cases that can recall death
seemed to have a terror for its Victims who
would call to tho physician, Doctor, don't let
me dic-for Gods sake, don'tr Fortunately
such cases are rare, and, whether saint or
sinner, a man usually sinks, as it were, into
slunber, a sort Of dreamy unrest, and SO
passes away into death, confirming almost
the ancient doctrine that death and sleep are
twins.
There is strange thing about death. A
chilli has the mos. intense horror of death,
anG looks upon it as the most supreme catas-
trophe, but as a man passes tho meridian of
life and his friends drop off one by one, and
be finds himself with the minority instead of
liz AAAeJoAAel VI '4AS toSiiSi dliOu, NuCll
cares aud disappointmcnts are multiplied,
death has little terror for him. In fact, death
seems to be relic. ,i!o natural death from
old agc-thc one We rarely see in nature
where the wheels of life cease to revolvc, tho
heart ceases to beat, and the body, from sheer
lack of vital power, without any known
disease, wears out death is painless
''rhe mental condition of man approach
ing death is frequently a strange thing. A
celebrated jur!st, eminent in church and
state, died about a year AGO under my oascr-
vat.on During the earlier period of h.s de.
hriucl he would exhort, pray and deliver
opinions from the bench, but as the disease
penetrated tho moro remote rccesscs Of tho
brain he seemed to lose tho impressions Of
recent events, and pass backward over his
career as young attorney pleading at thu
bar. Just before his death he seemed to be.
as it wcre in his youth again, and his soul
had already rejuvenated itself before his final
exit
'Another curious thing connected with dis
ease is taat persons who die from diseases
above the diaphram are composed and Of
cheerful mind, and usually die quietly, but
persons with disease Of the liver, kidneys or
affections Of that sort apt to be morose and
don't take as cheerful view of things as
those who have diseases above the diaphra.n. ="
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