The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-09-01

physicians arc Incompetent TO form cor
rect judgment of their own uses That
pain is dcmoral,,inC I have had fire.
quent opportunity ~ observing in the
battlefield hu.n,al- Of the arm, Of nYrth-
crn Virginia
III is capahlo Of chlI;irg completely
mans nature. For instance ari officer
who had 80 distinguished himself in
battle that ho was brcvetted and made
the youngest Rrirndinr IN the army
received at Geityburg Il bullet in tho hand
which dis1blci hiri from holding his
sword Never hcl,'o> he led his mon in u
charge and fell exhausted from loss Of
blood only afi,r the opposing lines had
been routed
"W hen lie w1s brought "Ith u torn.
porary dressing 20 the field hospital hr
was fairly calm and asked that his wound
bo attended to us soon as possible Then
seeing that I was operating on more
serious cascs "" walked away without
protest In about fifteen minutes he
returned with II more urgent request for
treatment. saying he was suffering great
pain.
Il again was compelled to decline
Returning the third time le insisted with
an oath, good Presbyterian though he
was, that The wound was too painful to
endure any longer and he threatened mo
with co,irt.martial If | didn't attend 10
it Immediately. This brave man or
whom II was said hat he was so generous
that he would give soldier his last bite
was evidently completely transformed
by tho pain of his wound
Such incidents demonstrate the i'm
portance Of disinterested Judgment in
deciding upon outhana.'ia FOR incurablc
suffering. and they prove that those'who
demand the latter are not always towards
Il have for a long time thought that
meny cases Of insanity demand euhana-
sia. Our asylums arc overcrowdcd with
absolutely ipGirable cases of long stand
ing, scmS violent and . mcnaCe to those
who are near them. others hopelessly
idiotic. many being without relatives
or friends. There win soon he no room
Tor hopeful cases in these institutions aud
the State will be forced o dispose of them.
1T may become necessary TO appoint
o commission for the purpose. | do not
hesitate TO favor euthanasia al least. and
for those terrific cases of long continued
agony called delerilnn of persecution.
which, though unfounded, is so real to
these unfortunales that their demeanor
expresses IL in every word and action.
They require constant watching and re-
straint by distressing mechanical means.
Such sufferers should certainly be re-
beved by uthanasia if The case is chronic,
tnd IT, interest of the patient should be
carefully Guarded by legal restrictions;
for instance. commission of experts to
decide the question.
! Such cases differ obviously from those
hopeless creatures who are capable of
"A ,to1
which may seem insupportable 10 them.
but may be llioyiutcd or removed in the
course of time.
Il am aware that in expressing these
views run counter to conventional ideas
but / hope that The SUN NAV awaken
discussion on this subject. which is so mo
mentous u ipcurabIe suffering humanity.
While Mrs Harris's letter to The Sun had
reawakened interest IN the subject through
the notn Of personal appeal. cuthanasia
has been discussed many times and sew
eral efforts 10 'eraliHe II have been made.
In 1905 "a hill for an act requiring physi-
clans To take human life was introduced
in the Iowa Legislature by representa-
tive II. X. Gregory, who was himself
physician During the heated discussions
that followed the author of the bill de-
tended his position by saying very much
as Mrs. Harris does. What ! propose for
the relief of human beir cs is no more than
you are now practising IN the exercise OF
humanity on dumb animals.
The bill did not become law, but DR.
Gregory drew protests from all parts OF
the country bv insisting tn1t what we had
proposed rs already lpractised TO great
extent by the greatest physicians and sur
geons in the land. At the risk of being
convicted of murder he SAT- d they often
take human life simply because they know
it is kindness 10 the patient and his
relatives.
Every large hospital in Chicago. New
York and other big cities is the scehe of
such murders almost daily. he said
Denials that euthanasia was practised
In the hospitals came with the protests.
The then superintendent of Bellevue
Hospital said ihst such 4 belief obtained
among the most ignorant class and added
his belief III which the others Joined. that
-the province q physician and of drugs
is to heal, not 10 kill, and no physician
would think Of administering any drug
in quantity which he knew would take
human life.