Evening star., 1912-09-02
OPPOSE DEATH PLEA
Washington Physicians Give
Views on Mrs. Harris Case.
HOPE while LIFE LASTS
"Legalized Murder" Dangerous, Say
Capital Doctors.
while there's life, there's hope"

with this OLD adage, prominent phySi-
clan of this city today summed up his
opposition to legalized euthanasia. The
letter Of Mrs. Sarah Harris, published in
New York, in which the helpless and
hopeless paralytic urges that q way be
found to put an end to the sufferings Of
incurable patients, has created much in
terest not only among physicians of
Washington, but also among the laity.
Mrs. Harris lies in her bed at the Au-
dubon Sanitarium, New York, where DR..
Henry w. Lloyd, the superintendent,
says she may lie for the next ten or
twenty years. She is unwavering in her
belief that q way should be found to be
las merciful to US as to the animal that
has been mortally wounded or is helpless
from disease"
DR.. Simon Baruch Of New York has
come forward in support OF Mrs. Harris
plea. But the physicians of Washington.
interviewed by The Star, announced
themselves as unalterably opposed to such
plan.
Physicians Are Opposed.
Il have never heard Of a reputable ply
sician who favored the killing Of incur
able patients" said DR.. w. C. Woodward,
the District health officer. "Ours would
be a poor state OF civilization, indeed,
if we were not able and willing to care
for those who are not able to care
for themselves, as in the case of the
incurably sick or crippled"
But, doctor, wouldn't the incurable be
much happier dead. in many instances?'
was asked.
is question that has been asked since
the beginning Of time, and no one has
given successful answer to it yet. IL you
find any one who can answer that ques-
tion, please let me know
DR.. Woodward said that II the law per-
mitted the putting to death of incurable
patients it might be in effect legalized
murder.
When a crime is committed today a
courtand JLry try the man accused OF
the crime. and If it finds him guilty he
is sometimes sentenced to death-which
is legalized murder after a manner OF
speaking. In some cases these sentences
have ben commuted to life imprisonment
and 1t has been discovered that the man
sentenced was, after all, innocent. 1t is
to be supposed, therefore, that many OF
the men who go to the chair or scaffold
are also innocent. This same thing might
happen repeatedly in the case Of sentenc-
ing to death supposedly incurable pa
tients.
"If such a law were enacted, 1t would
necessarily provide for q regular jury
trial in court Of patients alleged to be
incurable. Any other method would be
far too dangerous to society, and might
admit Of all kinds Of crimes against the
helpless do not think that the courts
would be overworked, even IL such a law
were enacted. For do not think that
you would find many persons, sick or
otherwise, who were anxious to die"
Incurables Cheerful.
Out at the Home for Incurables,
where are housed today sixty-two pa
tients, hopelessly i'll or crippled, rang
ing in age from six to ninety-two years,
not single patient was found who
wished to die. In fact. the superin-
tendent, Miss Campbell. said they were
most cheerful lot of people, who much
preferred their life than the grave.
IF any one Of them gets sick sud
denly there Is a great outcry against
possible DEATH" said the superintend-
ent. .Of course, the Home for Incura-
bles is a most cheerful kind Of place,
cheerful. but I never saw an incurable
patient who did not wish to go on liv-
ing. The example of fortitude and
cheerfulness which is set the we'll and
normal by the incurable patients out
here is little short of marvellous"
No Standard for Action.
A we'll known physician who has his
Office at the Burlington apartment house
and who did not wish to be quoted, said
that he was absolutely opposed to any
law which would permit the physicians
or any one else to put to death incurable
patients.
'In the first place, there is absolutely
no standard for such action" he said.
"Who is to judge whether a patient Is In
durable? There have been many mar
velous curesl after the patient has been
given up by attending physicians
1.-THE enactment Of such q law would
open up wide field for criminals. In
the case Of the insane, where cure 10
practically out Of the question. we would
have no right to act upon the wish OF q
person who was not mentally competent
to express such a wish, or any kind OF a
wish. The insane cannot answer for
themselves and certainly the law would
never attempt to give the guardian Of an
insane person the right to say whether
that person should be killed"
At the Government Hospital for the In
sane 1t was said that the great dmculty