The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-19
DEATH rs PAINLESS.
THE LAST SENSATIONS IN THIS
WORLD ARE HAPPY ONES.

As the End of Life Approaches Nature
Seems to Bring Her Peculiar Anses-
sAetic and the Sufferer Passes Away
without Half the Agony Of Sickness
A human beings death was formerly
considered great struggle, and vivid,
almost shocking. descriptions of the
phenomena OF dying were given in such
exaggerated forms that none cared 10
think of the supreme moment when
death should come to them. Euthanasia,
or the pleasure of dying. takes the very
opposite view and proclalms death to
be easy and almost painless.
As the end Of life approaches nature
often brings her peculiar anesthetic and
the person passes OF without suffering
half the agony which the sickness caus-
ing the death brought TO the patient.
Even men meeting 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 sickness snd pain which carries one
to the door of death. and it is st such
moments that one suffers all the torment
and agony of dozen deaths.
The pleasures of dying can only be
likened to those of the dreamy morphine
eater, who gradually passes of into a
semico..ocious state where everything
seems like floating visions Of bliss. The
BODY and nerves are numb, and the ex-
cited, overweight brain becomes quiet
and unexcited.
The imagination plays fancifuIly with
blissful pictures, and the whole condi-
ton of the nervous system is of pleasur-
able exaltation. The drowning man ex-
periences the Same relief and pleasure
when the struggles are over and the cold
limbs grow stiff and numb.
BLISS BEFORE THE END.
Persons frozen in binding snowstorms
have reported their sensations accurate
II, and they all agree that after GER
tain amount of suffering which every ons
feels at first in extreme cold they enter
into blissfHl state from which they do
net wish to be reused.
Morphine, cocaine, ether and lsuds-
mum bring TO the patient TINS same
mental and nervous condition, and pa
tents resent any attempt to rouse them
from their dreamy state. Nature sup
plies her own anSesthetlc before the In
portant moment has arrived.
Before the death rattle is heard the
tho Rf
pain and suffering on the frame disap-
pear, and often smile partly opens the
lips. The whole body shows signs of a
painless moment, and If the mind wan
ders and the tongue utters words they
are all of pleasure and joy.
Those who have watched at hundreds
of deathbeds have noted that death was
easy, and officers in battle have testi-
fed that the last moments Of dying sol
diers were painless. People who have
been in the jaws Of wild beasts in India
and have been rescued at the last mo-
ment, testify that nunbing calmness
wss experienced after the first sharp,
painful snap of the teeth upon them.
In fact the approach of every creatures
fate brings with it kindly preparation
when life is blissful and full Of pleas
ure. The last sensation in this world is
then one of JOY and not excruciating
pain.
The real knowledge Of euthanasia
certainly diminishes If it does not en-
tirely relieve the dread Of many Of the
last struggle, which has been made SO
horrible by descriptions of its agony.
PLEASURES OF DYING.
The pleasures of dying may remove q
great burden from the minds Of hun
dreds who are inevitably approaching
death. The old fashioned notion that
death would bs terrible had a baleful
influence upon those who were fighting
insidious diseases, and many aggravated
their complaints by feverishly dreading
the pain of the last struggle. In this
way 8 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
combats against the desire to yield TO
the influence of the drug. Sleep gener-
oil bICoio Oftl NliS fNAECAhf cA1 WY VIZ
dreamy pleasures caused by the poison
and Of dying are again experienced In
this world. The greatest pain felt Il
that of the stomach pump, which may be
applied in time to recall the suicide 70
life, and In every case they rebel against
this most eInphatically. That the suf-
fering is not so terrible may be surmised
from the fact that persons who have
once attempted suicide frequently make
the second or third attempt.
1t is a fact that the pain Of death II
frequently far less than the pain that
accompanies many diseases that are not
fatal. The pain Of rheumatism. for In
stance, is probably more severe than the
usual pain of dying. So Is the pam Of
neuralgia or the pain of the toothsche-
Death often, indeed. comes az silently
and painlessly as sleep. Those az the
bedside cannot see exactly when the
vital spark Of life gives ont with any
more certainty than you can tell when q
drowsy persDn passes froEa sernicon-
seriousness to actual sleep. II we were
not all familiar with the phenomenon Of
sleep how we should fear that sweet OBJ
hvion: how we should stand sfnghtsd
on the brink before yielding cur brain
and body 70 the absolute unconscious
ness Of healthy slee2.-Dr. W. b. Akin
SOL
womss's Mental Ability.
A writer in Blackwood's kagszins 80
ssys 70 deEnonst rae by citing living eK-
snples that women Who's brains are in