The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-11-23
EU1nlNASIA IS
TERMED UNWISE
Thinkers Arc Condemning
Proposal Of an Easy Death
for Incurables.
SAYS COLD FLOODED
DR.. Wiley Declares Under
Present National Psychol-
Ogy, Plan Unwise.

Washington.-From cold bloode'
economic standpoint every pauper an
imbecile and hopelessly incurable per
son in the United States ought to o.
put to death painlessly by the state
according to DR.. Harvey W. Wiley
former chief Of the United States bu
reau OF chemistry, but the idea is i'm
possible under our present nauona
psychology, he believes.
DR.. Wiley made this statment II
commenting nron the action OF IT
A. w. Guild OF Des Moines. Iowa, VINO
made a plea before the annual conven-
ton of the American Association OF
Progressive Medicine at Chicago IN
which DR.. Guild urged the adoption OF
legalized euthanasa for the disposal OF
all aged persons, infirm, or suffering
persons who longed for death.
such an idea is only possible nn>
der a system similar 10 German kul-
1ur," said DR.. Wiley. The existence
of imbecIles and incnrables is nndoubt-
edly a burden to the state. bntTt IS
not an unmixed evil. The mere fact
that the state will carry such a bur
den shows that humanitarianism Is still
active in our government.
is Already Praeticed.
"Euthanasia is already practiced to
the greatest permissible extent. 1t -
legitimate medical practice to ease the
pain Of an incurable even though the
easing Of his pain will hasten death.
] believe, though, that as Ions as human
life is regarded as precious 1t is i'm
possible to put into operation such an
idea.
Every reputable practitioner in the
United States believes in this form OF
euthanasia 1t is aperfectly proper
when a physician has satisfied him.
self that patient cannot get well, and
when the patient is in an extreme NOR
ibund condition, to administer an opiate
or n narcotic of some sort, even when
the doctor knows that the admins
terinE Of that narcotic will pass the pa
tent into a sleep that precedes the
sleep of death.
But at the same time society faces
q terrible responsibility when it at
tempts to take life of the individual
without the proper process Of law. The
mere fact that several persons. among
them the principal come to an agree
ment to bring about the death of an
individual is not sufficient ground FOR
causing the death Of human being, no
matter how grave the provocation.
DIR. Guild says. understand, that a
man would mercifully knock horse in
the head, and that the same thing in
effect should be done to human being
who is in a hopeless condition. | don't
agree with him. Such things tend to
produce cold bloodedness in a nation.
1t is that same cold blooded, calculat-
ing efficiency which has made the Ger
man conduct of the war so terrible
and which We are now trying to Wipe
out for the peace of the world.
DIR. Osler in advocating the chloro-
forming of men after they had passed
the age of SO made the mistake of fix
ing a time limit. just as the military
service mistakes in retiring officers at
certain age regardless of their eff
cheney. According to OslerS theory
I've been dead for 13 years, whereas
I've done my best work in that time,
"Hindenhurg, the great German gen.
eral, is 70, and the president of the
United States has passed 60
Condemned by Mgr. Thomas.
Euthanasia, in it's suggested form,
IS condemned by Mgr. c. +. Thomas,
pastor of st. Patrick's Catholic church,
who holds to the theory that nature
has her own euthanasia, and that man
should not be deprived of the last mo-
ments of life when he should be pre-
pairing himself for the world To come.
'Euthanasia, the giving of anesthet-
les to deaden pain, SO that the patient
is rendered generally. or permanently
insensible, seems rather extreme and
indefensble,' said Mgr. Thomas. IT
might be readily admitted as just and
proper to administer drugs for tenn
porary relief Of the sufferer or, when
a serious operation is TO be performed
il is necessary to put the patient into
a condition where he viii not feel the
pain.
But it does not appear to me Just
right to deprive a sufferer Of the use
Of his reason in the hours preceding
death.
IF the man We're but an animal
without soul or spiritual life, and If
his going forth from this life be no
more than the passing of n goat or a
sheep, then perfectly right or jnstifi-
able might be the administering Of
such powerful drugs to deprive him Of
Sense OF reason.
Il do not know OF any special de-
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