Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-06-02
THERE IS NO PAIN.
Beyond q Certain Point. Death Has No
TerrOrs.

TerrOrS.
Iknow that a human beings death
was formerly considered a great strug-
gle, says DIR. w. B. Atkinson in the
Philadelphia Times, and vivid, almost
shocking, descriptions of the phenom-
ena Of dying were given in such exag-
gerated forms that none cared to think
OF the supreme moment death should
come to them. Euthanasia, or the
pleasure of dying, takes the very oppo-
site view and proclalms death to be
easy and almost painless. AS the end
of life approaches nature often brings
her peculiar anasthetic, and the person
passes off without half the agony that
the sickness causing the death brought
to the patient. Even men meeting a
violent death in the jaws of wild beasts
have few seconds Of calm preparation
before dying, which brings relief and
certain degree Of pleasure.
The great trouble in death is the sick
ness and pain that carry one to the door
of DEATH and it is at such moments that
one suffers all the torment and agony of
dozen deaths. The pleasures of dy-
ing can be likened only to those of the
dreamy morphine eater, w5o gradually
passes off into a semi-co lsclous state
where everything seems like floating
visions of bliss. The body and nerves
are numb, and the excited, overwrought
brain becomes quiet and unexclted.
The imagination plays fancifully with
blissful pictures, and the whole condi-
ton of the nervous system is of pleas
urable exultatlon.
The drowning man experiences the
same relief and pleasure when the
struggles are over and the cold limbs
grow stiff and numb. Persons frozen in
binding snow storms have reported
their sensations accurately, and they all
agree that after a certain amount OF
suffering, which everyone feels at first
in extreme cold, they enter into bliss
full state, from which they dc not wish
to be reused.
Morphine, cocaine. ether, and lauda-
mum bring to the patient this same
mental and nervous condition, and pa
tients resent any attempt to rouse them
from their dreamy state. Nature sup
plies her own an2sthetlc before the I'M
portant moment has arrived. Before
the death rattle is heard the convuised
fering on the frame disappear, and often
smile partly opens the lips. The
whole body shows signs of a painless
moment, and if the nina Wanders and
the tongue utters words, they are all
of pleasure and JOY. Those who have
watched at hundreds of death-beds
have noted that death was easy, and
officers in battle have testified that the
last moments of dying soldiers We're
painless. People that have been in the
Jaws of wild beasts in India, and have
been rescued at the last moment, testl-
fly that numbing calmness was eXper-
fenced after the first sharp, painful
snap of the teeth up n hem.
In fact, the approach of every crea-
lures fate brings with it a kindly prep
aration when life is blissful and full of
pleasure. The last sensation in this
world is then one of joy, and not excru-
ciating pain. The pleasures Of dying
may remove a great burden from the
minds of hundreds who are inevitably
approaching death. The old-fas hloned
notion that death would be terrible had
a baneful influence upon those that
were fighting insidious diseases, and
many aggravated their complaints by
feverishly dreading the pain of The last
struggle. In this way a great deal of
harm was done, and many sufferers
fastened their own end.
Even in the case of poisoning tina
pain suffered is only when the system
combats against the desire to yield to
the influence of the drug. Sleep gem
orally steals over the person, and only
the dreamy pleasure caused by the
poison and of dying are again expert
enced in this world. The greatest PAL n
felt is that of the stomach pump, which
may be applied in time to call the sui,
eide to life, and in every case they rebel
against this most alphabetically.