The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-07-29
WHAT A PHYSICIAN SAYS ABOUT THE
APPROACH OF DISSOLUTION.

1 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 pain
less. AS the end of life approaches
nature often brings her peculiar an8s-
thetic, and the person passes off without
suffering half the agony that the sickness
causing 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 a 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
a dozen deaths. The pleasures of dying
may be likened only to those of the
dreamy morphine eater, who gradually
passes off into semi-conscious state
where everything seems like floating
visions of bliss. The body and nerves
are numb, and the excited overweight
brain becomes quiet and unexcited. The
imagination plays fancifully with bliss
full pictures, and the whole condition of
the nervous system is of pleasurable ex-
altation. The drowning man ex-
periences the same relief and pleasure
when the struggles are over and cold
limbs grow stiff and numb. Persons
frozen in binding snow storms have re-
ported their sensations accurately, and
they all agree that after certain amount
of suffering, which everyone feels at
first in extreme cold, they enter into a
blissful state, from which they do not
wish to be aroused.
Morphine, cocaine, ether and lauda-
mum bring to the patient this same men
tai and nervous condition, and patients
resent any attempt to rouse them from
their dreamy state. Nature supplies her
own anesthetic before the important
moment has arrived. Before the death
rattle is heard the convulsed frame re-
lakes, the signs of pain and suffering 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 hun
dreds of deathbeds 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 a numbing
calmness was 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 pleasure. The last sensation in this
world is then one of joy and not ex-
cruciating pain. The pleasures of dying
may remove great buIden from the
minds of hundreds who are inevitably
approaching death. The old-fashioned
notion that death would be terrible had
baneful influence upon those that were
fighting insidious diseases, and many ag-
gravated their complaints by feverishiy
dreading the pain of the laststruggle. In
this way great deal of harm was done
and many sufferers fastened to 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
generally steals over the person, and
only the dreamy pleasure caused by the
poison and of dying is again experienced
in this world. The greatest pain felt is
that Of the stomach pump, which may
be applied in time to recall the suicide
to life and in every case he rebels against
this most emphatically.-Dr. atkinson
in the Philadelphia Times.