The Washington herald., 1908-05-21
DIES FROM RABIES
Brooklyn Merchant Passes
Away in a Coma.
WAITED PATIENTLY FOR END
william H. Marsh Followed Step by
step the Dread Disease-Physieians
in Attendance Administer Opiates
When Commissions Set In-NOt Bit
ten by a DOE-Knevv He Had 10 Die.

New York May Zo.-wlliam H Marsh,
the Brooklyn man condemned by his gem
tleness TO pet bulldog to die in the con-
vulsions Of rabies. passed away at $50
o'clock this afternoon. He had a merciful
coma before death.
During the last tWenty-four hours pre-
oeding his death. the patient, who tossed
and burned on his bed at his home. 20
Ocean avenue. suffered a double torture
Or. Henry NJ. Cullinan. the physician
who had been IN close attendance upon
Mr. Marsh since he went home with the
knowledge that death was coming 10 him,
said to-day that the man had been able
10 follow step by step the course of the
disease that was raeking him Though
knowledge he once acquired IN & full
course IN medicine that he had taken.
Like man sitting in the condemned
cell and listening to the striking OF the
clock that brings the dawn nearer, Mr.,
Marsh had diagnosed the advance Of the
plague that had him in its hold during
the intermittent periods Of consciousness.
Knew He Had TO Die.
When Mr.. Marsh left the Pasteur Insti-
tute on Monday he knew that he must
die. and he had been told that seventy
two hours was at most the definite limit
to his life. During that time, the patient
made subtraction Of the passage OF time
for those seventy-two hours and reck-
Oned the total left 10 him He did not
know the approach Of the end by several
hours. for with the final paralysis came a
merciful coma.
When Mr.. Marsh went back TO his house
on Monday and told his family that he
had to die. ne was already well advanced
in the second stages OF rabies.
DR.. Cullinan called DIR. Wheeler. OF the
Pasteur Institute. and Dr. f. H. Fiske OF
Is Lafayette avenue, Brooklyn, In con-
sultation. To the physicians the patient
spoke nationally and without fear
When the convulsions get too hard, 4"
he said. make things easier with OPT
ates !"
During Tuesday night, and all day to-
day, DR. Cullinan, who never left the
mans bed, endeavOred 10 make things
easier He administered constant doses
Of morphia and hyoscyamine Chlor0form
he dared not use. for in too great quanti-
ties # becomes a poison. The law which
forbids physician committing mercuul
murder made the alienation Of the stTick-
en- mans tortures only partly possible.
Unconscious Part of Time.
During a part OF the time to-day, Mr.
Marsh was unconscious either through
the TigoTs Of the commissions or the effect
of the oplates.
A woman called at the house early this
morning 10 say that she was a Christian
Scientist and that she could speedily re-
lieve Mr.. Marsh Of the temporary halIu-
cinati0n he had. She was shaken off
only after threats were made to call
policeman.
a letter came to the house directed
to Mr.. Marsh It read: Cheer. I'D. You
must not die. You have no right to die.
kilograms have been received from Chi
cago, san Francisco. and places nearer
home all containing some recommenda-
tion OF a patent nOstrum or other remedy
for rabies.
Dr Fiske, who was called in eonsulta-
tion spoke OF the unusual aspects OF Br
Marshs case to-day. He said
The only way we can account for
that It was through a small sore spot on
his thigh. At the time he dressed the
wound he found on the side of his dog
he had small spot Of eczema, and since
there was no abrasion on his hands at
that time, he Is certain II must have been
that infection was transferred through
his finger nails when he scratched the
sore spot on his thigh"