The Portland daily press., 1899-09-09
FASTENING DEATH.
Disagree with Judge BaIdwin's
BELIEF that Sometimes End should he
Hurried.-Proposition Might Lead 10
Many. Abuses by the Interruptions.


ficut, who delivered an address before the
American Association Of Social Soienos
at Saratoga on sunday. in which he ad-
vaneed the opinion that persons on the
verge Of death and apparently doomed to
die should be allowed TO die, instead Lof
having their life prolonged. has stirred
the physicians of this city. and most Of
those who we're willing to express an
opinion disagreed with him. Many asked
the same question that Dir. Robert y.
Weir did.
"who Is to tell" be asked, whether
the end Is near or is inevitable within a
few hours or daysf When Judge Baldwin
makes the assertion that theirs are certain
maladiss that NATURALLY end in speedy
death, but may be protracted by physi-
clans through a long period Of weakness,
during which the patient may greatly
suffer. he is making an assumption which
the nest informed physician is not al
ways capable Of determining. Few doc
tors are able to declare definitely that
person will die when death appears to be
near at hand, although all the indications
may point that way.
snow, who is to be responsible for de.
tsrmining this--whether person should
be put out Of his misery? fear that IT
would place an added responsibility upon
the medical profession which 1t would be
unwilling to bear
DIR. George r. Shrady was seen at
home, near Saugerties, and his attention
was called to the address Of Judge Bald
win.
DIR. Shrady was surprised to learn that
such opinions could be seriously enter
tanned either from legal or q medical
standpoint.
He differed radically from the learned
Judge In every particular, and said that
| the instinct for life which exists at all
| hazards against all odds could not be gain
ssid by any argument OF expediency. He
doubted II the speaker himself would be
| consistent advocate Of such views IL he
himself were stricken with a mortal ILL.,
| ness.
"All arguments against fear of death, !"
! he said, ARE strongest when uttered by
one In good health. The fact Is patients
may beg for death sometimes In cases
Ct extreme agony, simply because they
cannot realizs what death Is. Death Is
generally invited also when the doctor Is
out of hearing. 1t IL always long dis
lance call, without good connections, and
the sufferer cannot be supposed TO mean
what ne says. especially If be has either
collie. govt or toothachs.
"Who IL to take the responsibility Of
deciding when death its inevitableP The
| physician sees the most desperate cases so
often recover that be naturally hesstates
in giving up hope. His efforts in success
fully fighting death make him TO the last
| degree optimistic and resourceful
| 1tsHa ia adueatad N haIiava that M dlz.
ease must be onsidered absolutely incura-
Bile until death actually comes to prove
| the contrary.
Thanks to the won derful advances
made In the healing art, there are no good
reasons for men to continue to suffer,
be overcome In countless ways, and disa-
bilities can be counteracted by many cum
ming contrivances OF operative procedure.
medicine and surgery are progressing
all the time, and 1t will require more
| foroibie arguments than those offered by
the Judge to prove that the medical pro-
fession is wrong in its persistent attempts
to prolong life, even In apparently hope
| less CASES.
DIR. Cyrus Edison declared that the
Judge did not know what he was talking
about.
"He shows his utter ignorance of msdi-
cine" said DIR. Edison, "when he refers
| to the agonies that patients endure in
their last Illness. Il has been demon-
| strated that morphine. judiciousIy APP
piled, not only prolongs life, but stops
pain for the time being and relieves the
sufferer. 1t is not necessary to kill q
/ person In order to put him out of agony.
~ remember the case OF soldier who
| was shot through the bowels on the field
| OF battle and who was attacked by wild
| hog as he lay there. His entrails had
been exposed, and the hog devoured a
/ ~ 70 h~o&
near by, and at the request of the dying
man the brother shot him and put an end
| to his misery.
NOW, Judge Baldwin, suppose,
would think this the proper thing to do,
| but do not agree with him for a minute.
/ believe that medical practice Is far
enough advanced to probably save such
an extreme cass by antispetic treatment.
| At any rate. the chances would be very
good, and we should have no right to
neglect 1t"
| DR.. q. II. Wynkoop said: "It is a
| common principle in our profession that
1t is the mission of doctors to save, not
to destroy. There are so many eccentrioi-
| ties In life and 1t il SO impossible to Judge
| different cases by the same standard that
physicians Of high character would bs
very slow to accept the responsibility of
| putting an end to human life.
81 well remem bsr the case of Charles
O'Conor. who number Of years ago was
supposed TO be ON bis deathbed, and emf.
nent physicians were waiting hourly for
him to breathe his last. They had made
up their minds that he was soon to go,
and yet ons day he took sudden turn
and got we'll. He lived four or five years
after that.
while the best physicians could bs
| trusted TO do the right thing, SO far nj
duty Is concerned. It seems to me that 1t
would place dangerous power in the
hands of those who might possibly act In
oollusion with the unscrupulous who had
property interests at stake and were anx
| ious to shorten life.
"There Is u good deal In the old provert
| t at while there Is life there 10 hope.
have often known heroic treatment to
bring q person ont of a serious Illness
when the last chance seemed to be gone.
Judge Baldwin speaks of natural
death as being the proper way for per.
| sons to pass ont of the world ] prefer to
believe that IL Is the natural thing to live
and that no effort should be spared to
| I'M Mi lfFa a