Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-10-30
VIEWS ON EUTHANAslA
New York Pastor Advocates Easy Death For Incurables.
A MUNICIPAL PLAN OUTLINED.

The Rev. Merle St. c. Wright Would
 Divide City Into Districts and Have
 ScientiAts add CIergymen Pass Up-
 on "Requests'' to Die~-Noted Physi-
 clans Docry Dr. wright's Idea.
 The address which attracted more at tention than any other delivered at the recent annual banquet of the New York State Medical association held at the Hotel Manhattan in New York was made by . clergyman, the Rev. Dr. Merle St. c. Wright of the Lenox Ave nue Unitarian church in New York. He placed himself on record as favor ing euthanasia, which in medical par lance is the putting of incurables to death. The suggestion, which caused much surprise because of its source, was received none the less with hearty applause, says the New York Times
 MT. Wright had previously suggested that doctors ought really to teach their patients more than they do and that they might look upon their profession little more from the ethical stand point perhaps. But when he touched on the subject of euthanasia he admit ted frankly that 1t was simply dream. As dream, however, he had no hesi- tancy In advocating the doctrine. He recalled an instance in which mans life had been saved after disaster a. Spuyten Duyyil, and he said:
 "They did save his life, though for what practical purpose I cannot tell, unless possibly for a damage suit. I appreciate the practical difficulties in the way of the application of the doc trine, but it seems to me that 1t is not beyond the bounds of possibility Of course it would be necessary to have the advice and approval of men of the highest scientific attainment. The city might be divided into districts, and ev- cry application should be considered most carefully, not merely by physi- clans, but by some eminent clergyman selected for the purpose And, of course, there should be the consent of relatives and the consent, even the re- quest, of the patient himself. But where all these conditions are fulfilled and where the prolongation of life is simply the prolongation of hopeless agony it seems to me that 1t would be proper that such a patient should duiet- ly, decently, modestly, be allowed to end the sufferlngs. It seems to me that such course would be step forward in civilization and a step further away from barbarism''
 One of the speakers after Mir. Wright was John S. Wise, former congress- man of Virginia, who said in part:
 II cannot agree with some of the ad- vice which some of your profession has received tonight. For either a law yer or doctor to give too much in formation to his clients or patients would be to give away the snap to the men who pay him. That would be de- stroying the goose that lays the golden egg with vengeance. Still less do I favor the advice that when patients become practically useless to kill lem. know of country where that custom is practiced, and if the gentleman is really serious in his advocacy of 1t will use all my influence to secure him the mission.
 "T have heard of gentleman who spent one summer up in the arctic re- gions and got very well acquainted with a family of natives, which ifl- cluded the father of the household. 1 When he went there the next summer he missed the old gentleman and was l informed in a matter of fact way that the head of the family had killed his father. Yes he said, he got so old 1 he couldn't work and so shot him. ''Now, if any one likes that sort of way guess that's just the way that l will suit him. But for some of us here I'm afraid the question would arise. Aren't we getting along pretty close to l papa's age?'
 | Here are the views of several New l York physicians on the Rev. Merle St. 1 o. Wright's theory:
 1 Dr. George F. Shrady said that mod ern science tended to an exactly op- l posite course.
 we are giving to the weak the latest 1 developments of practice and re- search" said pr. Shrady. Persons l once considered incurable are now i amenable to successful treatment. It is absurd to discuss the dream of the 1 clergyman with seriousness. Rather than step farther away from the bar barians, as he says, 1t is retrogressive toward the practice of elimination which yet holds in some savage tribes. It is to the glory of the medical pro- fession that case is not considered without hope until the last vital spark l is extinguished."
 Dr. E. c. spitzka believed that it would open the door to criminal con- l dition. There would be opportunity to | sHs terior motives.
 'rWho shall say that person should be disposed of T' he asked.
 Dr. Gill Wylie said that no doctor is so infaIlible that he will say disease 1 is incurable.
 Nature, by kind provision, dulls the extreme sensibilities of many so called suffering patients. Their relatives and