A PAINLESS DEATH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1849, 26 November 1884, Page 2

A PAINLESS DEATH.

Dr Richardson's experiments for the painless extinction of animal life have;, been brought Jo a successful termination. 'As. the-electric shock, which at one tinjo was advocated for this purpose,' did. not prove sufficiently' ■«ife, : l)r Richardson sought for an anffisbhetio agent which would make death rapid as well as painless. -He successively experimented with nitrous, and carbolic oxides, ether, chloroform, .methylene, carbolic acid, bisulphide of carbon, coal gas combined with chloroform all of which more or less fulfilled their end, The result has been very satisfactory, as carried out at the Home for Lost Dogs, where a chamber was charged with carbolic oxide, the gas having been previously passed over a ■ pdrous surface, from which it took up vapor containing chloroform. Into this ohamber was introduced a cage ijontaining so many dogs, who }n a very short time passed from life to death in a profound sleep, without evincing the slightest pain or consciousness. Dr Richmond has also administered the same narcotising agent to sheep, so as to allow of their being killed iu a perfectly painless manner; and it is hoped that before long there will not be an abattoir in the whole of the country without facilities for employing the system.