The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1906-01-31
CERTAIN DEATH MADE EASY
FIRST INCIDENT OF ENDING LIFE
WHERE THERE WAS NO HOPE.
Young Woman, Suffering Fearful Ag-
ony from the Bite of Dog, Was
Given ChlOrofOrm.

Given ChlOrOform.
For the first time in the medical his
tory of Philadelphia euthansia, or at
least a form of the lethal doctrine of
Miss Anne M. Hail. Mrs. Maud Bal
lington Booth and DR.. Charles Ell
lott Norton, has been put in practice
in that city.
Several physicians, among them
the best in Philadelphia, one of them
the uncle of the victim and another
a cousin, sat at the bedside of Miss
Julia G. Curtin, grandniece of Penn
sylvania's famous war governor, and
for seven hours still9 with ether the
pangs of hydrophobia until the girl
was dead.
Her Family Consented.
1t was with the full consent of the
family that the drug was administer
ed. The girl did not know. The par
oxysms were growing greater and
the periods of consciousness less fire.
quent.
During consciousness the girl dis
played heroic courage. Once, after
a terrible spasm, she whispered that
she was becoming boisterous.
I'm behaving just like a dog" she
whispered.
Relic ed of Pain.
The drug was finally administered.
After eight hours, during which eight
ch A q +
time she had been in no pain.
81 treated four hydrophobia cases
before that of my niece" said DR..
Curtis, land after the last one [ de-
termined that l would allow no other
to die of hydrophObia without anaes-
thesia. | believe the ether prOlOng-
ed life and killed suffering"
Julia Curtin was the daughter Of
John Gregg Curtin, oil rehner and
nephew of the war governor. Twelve
weeks ago she was bitten on the hand
by pet dog. The wound was mere
scratch.
Gripped Girls Throat.
Six week later the dog died of
hydrophobia. The girl was only q,
of bouyant nature, cultured, intelli- |
gent. She gave no thought at all
to the scratch on her hand, which |
had apparently healed and was then
almost invisible.
There were no signs of the terrible
disease that was to grip her until |
January third. From that day until
she put herself in the hands of the
physicians the PROCESS Of the maladY |
can thus be described, as she told it !
to the doctors and her family:
Il woke up last Wednesday morn
ing with an odd feeling of fear and
depression. Something seemed to
grip my throat. | lay for a few mo-
ments lighting it off. 1t was SO I'M
usual. [ am always happy and fear
less. Finally the shadow seemed to
go away. | dressed. All through
the day, but family. at intervals, the
fear would come back.
Had Bad Dreams.
81 had bad dreams on Wednesday
night. When [ woke next morning
the feeling of fear was stronger.
felt as though things, horrible things,
were about to reveal themselves.
There was tingling sensation in my
hand. [ looked down and the scar
of the bite was dark red. 1t was as
though all the blood was driven from
my heart. I tried to fight it down
the dread and horror-but could not.
''All next day life was hideous;
the fear and dread increased. 1t
was so hard to hide it, to lAugh and
talk as though nothing were the
matter"
The next day she went to her
uncle, DR.. Roland Gideon Curtin. be
recognized at once the symptoms OF +
hvdrophobia. He called in. his son,
also physician, and the two agreed
on the treatment.