Evening star., 1901-06-01
THE BLISS OF FALLING.
Sensations Are Pleasant Even
Death Does Follow the Plunge.

Sensations Are Pleasant Even H
Death Does Follow the Plunge.
From the New York Medical Journal.
According to the Medical Review for jan
uary, Prof Heirn, the geoIosist of Zurich.
an ardent Alpine climber. stated recently in
a lecture that life contained few expert
ences more agreeable and enjoyable than
falling over precipice or slipping into Il
glacier crevasse- Even the landing after
the fall was free from anything of pain or
terror. Merely jar and then unconscious
ness. Prof. Heirn first cited the sensations
described by Swiss climber. who fell from
the top of the Karpfstock, in Switzerland.
The plunge. which was taken backward
was in nowise accompanied by the anxiety
felt when one dreams of falling / seemed
to be borne in the most pleasant manner
gently downward, and had complete CON
sciousness during the entire fall Free from
all pain or fear, L contemplated my posi-
ton and the future of my family which
l knew was assured by the insurance car
ried. And this contemplation was accom-
plished with rapidty which L had never
before known. OF the losing OF my breath
Of which people talk, there was no sugges-
tion. and only the heavy fall on to the
snow-covered ground caused me to lose
suddenly and painlessly all consciousness
The bruising OF my head and limbs on the
rocks as ! fell caused me pain. The
reawakening, however, brought with 1t en-
tfrely different and far less agreeable SEN
sattons."
OF his own experience OF the sensations
of falling. Prof Heirn said: ''As soon as
stumbled / saw that I should be dashed
over the rock and awaited the shock /
dug my fingers into the snow in the en-
deavor to stop myself but merely tore
open my finger tips, causing them all to
bleed, but feeling no pain from so doing
1 plainly heard the striking of my head
and back against the rock. and the thud
when l landed. Pain. however. / did not
feel until half an hour later. when 1 re-
vived. During the fall came flood of
thought. Every thought and impression
was clear in nowise dreary and confused.
and was logically connected with the one
which followed.
First, 1 contemplated the proba bility of
my fall, and said to myself: The rock
over whose edge shall be dashed evident
iy deScends sheer, for i cannot see the
ground on the other side. 1t becomes
therefore, a question whether or not there
is snow at the foot. If So the snow will
be melted near the wall and will form a
ledge on which / shall land. and thus es-
cape with my life: If not. then / shall
strike on the rocks below and death will
be unavoidable. If am not killed and am
not unconscious. / must at once take out
my little vial of liquor and drink few
drops of it. My alpenstock l must hold
on to, for 1t may prove of use 1 thought
that l should take off my snow glasses
and throw them away. for fear they might
be broken and the splintered glass get into
my eyes; but the position in which 1 was
falling prevented my moving my hands
sufficiently to do this.
Another train OF thought busted itself
with the effect my fall would have upon
my companions 1 said to myself that when
landed no matter whether l was hurt or
not, l must II possible. call out with all
my might, L am in nowise injured" I'm
order that my comrades might rouse them
selves from their terror and be able to
make the difficult descent necessary for
tHn hrty, y,cyfy, Of -fSfa 81 H.
thought that L should not be able to de-
liver my lecture which. five days later. was
to mark my entrance into the professor
ship I realized how the news OF my death
would shock my family, and in thought
tried to console them.
Then l saw, as II upon a stage, my en-
tire life pass like a series Of tabfeaux be-
fore me. l saw myself as the chief actor.
Everything seemed glorified by some
heavenly light. and all was beautiful and
free from pain, from anxiety and sorrow.
Even the memory of sad events was dis
tinct. but not sad. Exalted and beautiful
thoughts dominated and connected the SIN
gle scenes, and a divine quietude sank like
sweet music into my soul. Ever more and
more plainly 1 felt myself surrounded by
a heaven Of glorious blue. filled with
clouds of rose color and of violet / sank
gently and painleSsly into II, and saw that
I was flying through the air toward a field
Of snow. Objective observations. reasoning
and subjective feeling were indulged in
a dull thud. and my fall was ended At
the same moment IT seemed to me that a
black object rushed by me. and 1 called
two three times loudly / could |
L am In nowise injured / took some
drops Of the liquor. l reached out for my |
snow glasses. which lay unbroken beside |
me on the snow; l felt my back and my |
limbs to see that no bones were broken
when I struck I lost consciousness |
Every sensation. every activity Of mind |
and nerve was annihilated for half hour. |
The black object which passed me- was the |
passing Of consciousness. And, without |
realizing this half-hour interruption, |
thought and activity were resumed exact |
ly where they stopped. Between the stop |
ping and resumtng was an absolute blank. |
The beautiful heavenly visions were no.
ticeabe only during the time til at / was
flying through the air. and could see and /
think"
Prof Heirn said Mt the close of his lee
ture that death by falling is subjectively a
pleasant death. Without any previous III
ness or suffering. 1t occurs when one is full
iy conscious, when mental activity is alb
normally increased and without any anx
iety or pain. The unconscious state Is
entered suddenly and without suffering.