The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-06-25
PLEASURE IN DYING.
What a Physician says About the A
OF

know that human beings death
was formerly considered a great strug-
gle; and vivid, almost shocking, de-
scriptions of the phenomena of dying
were given in such exaggerated forms
that none cared to think of the supreme
moment death should come to them
Euthanasia, or the pleasure of dying,
takes the very opposite view and pro-
claims death to be easy and almost
painless. As the end of life approaches,
nature often brings her peculiar an4S-
thetic, and the person passes off with
out suffering half the agony that the
sickness causing the death brought to
the patient. Even men meeting a vio-
lent death in the jaws of wild beasts
have few seconds of calm prs paration
before dying, which brings relief and a
certain degree of pleasure.
The great trou blei 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 a dozen deaths. The pleasures of
dying can be likened only to those of
the dreamy morphine eater who gradu
ally passes off into a semi-conscious
state where everything seems like float
ing visions of bliss. The body and
nerves are numb, and the excited, over
wrought brain becomes quiet and unex-
cited The imagination plays fanci-
fully with blissful pictures, and the
whole condition of the nervous system
is of pleasurabie exaltation.
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 snowstorrns have reported
their sensations accurately, and they
all agree that after certain amount of
suffering, which everyone feels at first
in extreme cold, they enter into bliss
full state, from which they do 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 anasthetic before the i'm
portant moment has arrived. Before
the death rattle is heard the convulsed
frame relaxes, the signs of pain and suf.
fering on the frame disappear, and
often smile partly opens the lips. The
whole body shows signs of painless
moment, and if the mind wanders and
the tongue utters words, they are all OF
pleasure and joy
Those that 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 were painless. People that
have been in the jaws of wild beasts in
India, and have been rescued at the last
moment. testify that numbing calm
ness was experienced after the first
sharp, painful snap of the teeth upon
them.
In fact, the approach of every crea-
lures fate brings with il kindly
preparation when life is blissful and
full Of pleasure. The last sensation in
this world is then one of joy and not
excruciating pain. The pleasures Of
dying may remove great burden from
the minds of hundreds who are inevita-
bly, approaching death. The old
fashioned notion that death would be
terrible had bancfll influence upon
those that were fighting insidious dis
eases. and many aggravated their com |
plants by feverishlv 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 the pain |
suffered is only when the system com |
bats against the desire 70 yield 70 the /
influence OF the drug Sleep generally +
steals over the person. and only the 1
dreamy pleasure caused by the prison /
and OF dying are again experienced IN 4
this world. The greatest pain felt + I
that Of the stomach pump. which may /
be applied in time 70 recall the sUicice 4
70 life, and i every ease they rebe. 4
against this most enphatic2lly- --Dr. ". I.
z. Atkinson. in PIi,adeiptI Times