The Detroit times., 1914-05-16
DEATH PAINLESS,
/ DESPITE USUAL
| SHOW OF AGONY
Such Is Opinion of Majority of
English Scientists Who Discuss
the Question
LIFE ENDS IN PEACE;
"WHILE PAIN Is HOPPE
Men Who Have Been Pro-
nounced Dead Tell of Their
Unusual Experiences

LONDON. May 1G.-Do the dying
suffer pain? This strange discussion
has been carried on for some weeks
in the columns OF the Times. A mum
her of eminent physicians have given
their views and experiences. The
Concensus of opinion is that the dying.
as a rule, suffer no pain, howeyci
agonizing their breathing or cries IT
movements may seem TO the loving
and weeping ones that surround them
at the final moments.
Prof. j. Cook Wilson raises re
point that when pain Is OF no use or
saving service. as in inevitable death,
there is no pain.
I'VE have looked upon pain and
suffering says DR.. III. Cameron Gil
| lies, "as the greatest evil 10 wmcl
| humanity and indeed all the living
creation is exposed, and we have es
. teemed IL great mystery There IS,
however, no mystery about pain. II IL
| the universal language OF mankind
and OF all living beings all the time
| and indeed our great teacher. With
out pain the human race would make
no progress and we should have no
evolution in nature.
The people of my native Highlands
nave an old-time proyerb. there is
always peace before death, and to
this day they do not like an illness
not attended with pain. They look
upon il as dangerously ominous, but
the moment the suffeer begins TO
complain they regard the case and
condition as distinctly hopeful My
long experience Is that this Is true
all the way They have another gem,
Where there is pain there is LIE
and hope i,
c. Rivers Wilson says that when
DR.. William Hunter. the celebrated
anatomist, came 10 die on March 80,
1888, he obsersaa-sto his friend, DIR.
Coombe, IF | had strength enough TO
hold a pen | would write how easy
and pleasant a thing it is to die"
A prominent Englishman. writing
under the name OF "A Traveller" says:
Some years ago while in India.
was suddenly seized with Asiatic
cholera In addition to terrible pain
] suffered agonies of thirst. hap
pened to be where ice was unpro-
durable. For some time my mind was
filed with thoughts OF wounded sol
diers lying parched at night upon the
battlefield. Then, as the agonizing
pain produced exhaustion, | swiftly
understood that | was probably about
to die. The thought seemed to bring
great caImness and even to ease the
pain. silently prayed for deaIn aau
hoped IL would come soon. | never
!. once thought of my mother or my
home, or my friends, or any of the
things which people are supposed 10
think of upon their death bed. AS |
lapsed into half-consciousnes | felt
as though | was entering a vague and
happy peace where all was dark but
not in the least terrifying
IN. II. p tells thus of his expert,
ence when at the point of death from
typhoid fever in a Mexican mining
camp: "One of my camp friends had
the peculiar power OF bringing me
back TO consciousness by stroking my
brow-peculiar, because he was not an
intimate friend by any means-and
when the doctor gave his verdict, II
was decided that he should exercise
this influence and then tell me how
| was situated and take any messages
q had for my dearly loved ones at
home. He did this, and my friends
concurred afterward in saying that |
received the intimation in the most
ing. That's all right
And to his request for messages |
replied, quite calmly Give all at
home my love and say am sorry but
all in a non-interested way. | can
myself remember the incident very
vaguely, but do remember that
throughout | felt that he and | were
speaking of a third party-myself- |
whom | took only a languid interest.
OF pain, fear or anxiety ! was entirely
free. yet my friends tell me that in
my delirium ] screamed and fought
as though suffering agony"
= "A Septuagenarian' says: AT
Christmas, 1895, ! was lying in a Ri
viera hotel at the point of death from
double pneumonia and was afterward
void that the lung which had been
pCst congested began to clear only
a few hours before the other was com
pletely closed. | was sufficiently con
scious TO feel that this was probably
the end and 10 wonder If | should be
laid in the local cemetery and whether
the tenants OF my vicarage at home
would be much Inconvenience at hav-
ing to turn out. But, so far as | re-
member. | felt no physical pain OF a
struggle for life and breath and no
fear and the result OF my experience
is greatly TO encourage me in facing
when my time comes the inevitable
passage into the Valley OF the
Shadow of Death"
The late Prof Jowett, after an i'll
ness which had brought him very near
to the gates of death, described his ex-
perience as full OF interest and de-
void of alarm"
Sir Henry Morris in his communica-
| ton TO the Times on "the pains OF
death" takes occasion to say that
many persons suffering from apoplexy.
brain tumor, influenza with heart fail
IRE, brain injury, drowning. lung dis
ease, die when they might continue
to live II they were turned on one
side instead Of being let lie face up
ward. in which position they choke or
suffocate In case OF paralysis the pa.
tient should be laid with the paralyz-
"A efdn doNnward