Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-14
HUTHANASIA


and to be preserved, no matter viii
what results to the individual or tC
others. on the contrary, there are
lives to which every reasonable con.
! slderation urges that the end should
be put"
Especially narrowing" says Mrs
Ballington Booth, us the thought oi
the brave engineer held beneath the
iron wreckage of his locomotive
scalded by steam and yet awfuly alive
to every torture Of slow-coming death
II dumb animal were seen in similar
circumstances we would instantly end
its misery with a swift blow or mer.
ciful shot"
Resolved" said the American HUI
name association conference recently
that VIC approve the practice Of those
physicians who, in cases of hopeless
suffering, make painless the last hours
of life by the use Of anaesthetics, and
we protest against the practice OF
prolonging, by artificial means, the
agonies i'm incurable diseases"
And yet DR.. Osler, the greatest physl-
clan of this day. declares that nearly
all deaths are painless. Who knowsi
Who may measure the degrees Of suf.
fering and who may determine
whether the supposed physical agony
OF death is not in reality, at the same
moment, the occasion of beatific joy?
We are guessing at things of which we
can know practically nothing when
we talk of euthanasia or the means
by which it may be properly pro-
duced. If the mental caliber of man.
or the soul power, is the product of
mere electricity, as scientists now
claim, and death ends all. then to
shoot the sufferer, like a dog, might be
compatible with human compassion.
But If the soul be specially God-given
and it's departure from the body an
essential to its effective entrance upon
another sphere who shall say how,
when and where it should go?
Our beliefs along these lines are, of
course, the results of centuries of
teaching, centuries of guessing and
For all that, they may be wrong.
There are many men who favor crema-
ton of the body until it comes to their
own household. SO the majority of
even those who contend for euthan-
asia by artificial means would revolt
when the moment arrived to knock
their own mother in the head, or kill
their own son or daughter with chlo-
roform, however much the act might
be one of supposed humanity. 1t is
easy enough to talk of euthanasia by
violent means for others than those
near and dear to us. That. of course,
is the result of education, both reli-
gious and secular. But if the duty of
killing where they cannot cure be laid
upon the doctors, how many of them
and take up the yard-stick? The
whole profession would stand before
the public, when hope was gone. as eX-
ecutioners and upon them would rest
the responsibility of precipitating the
human soul into eternity.
eventually resolve itself into the ex-
treme of determining among ourselves
the survival of the fittest. If we may
kill those who suffer hopelessly, why
may we not kill those who are hope
lessly and helplessly crippled or dis
figured; or kill those whom we may
predetermine will grow up to be
criminals? There is practically no end
to the killing we might do if we finally
decided upon all the consequences of
adopting euthanasia.
A famous chicken-raiser was recent
ly asked for a rule by which to decide
upon those chicks that could not grow
to maturity or which would prove a
source of loss. His answer was;
well l watch the little fellows fol-
one that cannot keep pace with her and
the rest | tromp on Tt"
Euthanasia, so-called, might come
to that heroic crisis. In the tremendous
Battle for human existence, in the
war of the physical, spiritual or mental
elements for a fair chance, who may
pass upon the survival of the fittest?
In the savage and the barbarian the
child or woman or wounded that can
not keep up with the fleeing horde is
ruthessy killed; the civilized man
given up his own strong, healthful life
for the weak and the suffering.
The supposed mortal agony incident
to the passing of human soul may and
should be eased. The attainment of
this object has been one of the highest
functions and duties of medical skill.
But to kill the body in order to attain
euthannsia is largely fantastical in
theory and impossible as a recognized
practice.
MAWOD HND HITN HOIINrH