The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-09-09
Should Death be Ever Hastenedl

Judge Simeon h Baldln, or Con-
necticut, recently delivered an ad
dress before the American Associa'
tion OF Social Science at Saratoga,
in which be advanced the opinion
that persons on the verge of death
and apparently doomed to die
should be allowed to die, in
stead of having their life prolonged,
has stirred the physicians OF New
York city, says the Herald, and most
of those wiling to express an opinion
disagree with him. Many asked the
same question that Dr. Robert Weir
did.
who is to tell" he asked,
whether the end is near or is envi.
table within q few hours or days ?
When Judge Baldwin makes the as.
sertion that there are certain maladies
that naturally end in speedy DEATH
bat may be protracted by physicians
through r long period of weakness,
during which the patient may greatly
suffer, he is making an assumption
which the best informed ply sIciau is
not always capable of determining.
Few doctors are able to declare def
nitely that person will die when
death appears to be near at hand, al
though all the indications may point
that way.
Now, who is to be responsible
for determing this-whether a person
should be put out of his miseryR |
fear that it would place an added re-
sponsibllIty upon the medical prOfes'
sion which it would be unwilling to
bear"
DR.. George F. Shrady was seen at
home, near Saugerties, and his at
tention was called to the address OF
Judge Baldwin.
Dr. Shrsdy was surprised to learn
that such opinions could be seriously
entertained either from legal or a
medical standpoint.
He differed radically from the
learned Judge in every particular,
and said that the instinct for life
which exists at ell hazards against
all odds could not be gsinsaid by
any argument of expediency. he
doubted if the speaker himself would
be consistent advocate of such
views if he himself were stricken with
a mortal illness.
"All arguments against fear OF
DEATH he said, "sre strongest when
uttered by one in good health. The
fact is patients may beg for death
sometimes in cases o. extreme agony,
simply because they cannot realize
what death is. Death is generally
invited also when the doctor is out of
hearing. 1t is always long distance
call without good connections, and
the sufferer cannot be supposed to
mean what he says, especially if he
has either collie, gout or toothache.
"Who is take the responsibility OF
deciding when death is inevitable 7
The physician sees the most desper
ate cases so often recover that be nat
urally hesitates in giving up hope.
His efforts in successfully fighting
death make him to the last degree
optimistic and resourceful.
"He is educated to believe that no
disease must be considered absolutely
incurable until death actually comes
to prove the contrary.
Thanks to the wonderful advances
made in the healing art, there are no
good reasons for men to continue to
suffer, even with incurable diseases.
Pain can be overcome in countless
wsys and disabilities can be counter
acted by many cunning contrivancts
of operative procedure.
Medicine and surgery are progress
ing all the time, and it will require
more forcible arguments than those
offered by the Judge to prove that
the medical profession is wrong in its
persistent attempts to prolong life,
even in apparently hopeless cases."
DR.. Cyrus Edison declared that the
Judge did not know what he was
talking about.
He shows his utter ignorance of
medicine" said DR.. Edison, "when
he refers to the agonles that patients
endure in their last illness. 1t hss
been demonstrated that morphine,
judiciously applied, mot only prolongs
life, but stops pain for the time being
and relieves the sufferer. 1t is not
necessary to kill a person in order to
put him out of agony.
HT ramamhar the case OF soldier
who was shot through the bowels on
the field Of battle and who was at
tackled by wild hog as ne lay there;
His entrails had been exposed, ana
the hog devoured portion OF them;
T mans brother was nearby, ana
at the r. quest of the dying man the
brother shot him and put an end TO
his misery.
Now, Judge Baldwin, | suppose,