Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-05-27
DEATH IS PAINLESS
DESPITE SIGNS OF
AGONY SAY EXPERTS
Men, Who Have Been Pronounced by
ing and Thought So, Tell Their
Experiences-Feeling Is
Pleasant, Said Ono.

ENTHUSIASTICALLY the dying suf-
fer pain? This strange discussion has
been carried on for some weeks in the
column of the Times. A number of
eminent physicians have given their
views and experiences. The consensus
of opinion is that the dying. as a rule,
suffer no pain. however agonizing their
breathing or cries or movements may
seem to the loving and weeping ones
that surround them at the final mo-
ment.
Prof. j. Cook Wilson raises the point
that when pain is of no use or saving
service. as in inevitable death there is
no pain:
fering." says DR.. II. Cameron Gillies,
"as the greatest evil to which human
ity and indeed ali the living creation is
exposed. n we have esteemed 1t a
great mystery. There is. however. no
mystery about pain. 1t is the universal
language of mankind and of all living
beings all the time-and indeed our
great teacher. Without pain the hu-
man race would make no progress and
We hould have no evolution in nature,
The people of my native highlands
have an old time proverb, there is al
ways peace before DEATH and to this
day they do not like an illness not at
tended with pain. They look upon it as
dangerously ominous, but the moment
the suffer begins to complain they re-
gard the case and condition as dis
tintaly hopeful. MY long experience is
that this is true all the way. They
have another gen., Where there is pain
there is life'-and hope.
"a Pleasant Thing to Die"
G. Rivers Wilson says that when DIR.
william Hunter, the celebrated anato-
mist. came to die On March 30. 1888 he
observed to his friend, DR.. Coombe. IF
1 had strength enough to hold a pen 1
would write how easy and pleasant a
thing it is to die"
A prominent Englishman. writing UNI
der the name of "A Traveller" says:
some years ago. while in India, 1 was
In addition to terrible pain / suffered
agonies of thirst. 1 happened to be
where ice was unprocurable. For some
time my mind was filled with thoughts
of wounded soldiers Lying parched at
night upon the battlefield. Then. as
the agonizing pain produced exhaus-
ton. / swiftly understood that / was
probably about to die. The thought
seemed to bring great calmness and
even to ease the pain. I silently prayed
for death and hoped it would come
o never once thought Of my mo-
Their or my home, or my friends, or n
OF the things which people are sup
ko'NA ~ SAAAAN VI dPOII lIlCII uedlH OGQ,
AS l lapsed into half Inconsistencies I
felt as though ] was entering a agu
and happy peace where all was dark
but not in the least terrifying
IN. II. p" tells thus of his exper-
fence when It 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 n means-and
when the doctor gave his verdict 1t was
decided that ne should exercise this
influence and then tell me how / was
situated and take any messages 1 had
for my dearly loved ones at home. He
did this. and my friends concurred aft
erward In saying that I received the in
timation in the most unconcerned
manner. simply replying. That's all
right
Only laneuid Interest In HE Death.
And to his request for messages I
replied, quite calmly. Give all at home
o and - I am sorry but all in
a non-interested way. lean myself re-
member the incident very vaguely, but
I do remember that throughout ! felt