arbarians, who did not honor the bodies of
their dead. For the good of humanity, dead bodies may at times be
subjected to the dissecting-knife, but never to wanton indignities.
Reason tells you to do by others as you wish to be done by, and
Revelation adds its teaching about a future resurrection and
glorification of that body of which the Apostle says that "it is sown in
dishonor, but it shall rise in glory." Be men of science, but be not
human ghouls. There is such a thing as retribution. But lately a former
millionaire died in a poorhouse and left his body as a cadaver for
medical students. We cannot afford to ignore the mysterious ways of
Divine Justice. Ever handle human remains in a humane manner; and as
soon as they have answered the purpose of science, see that they be
decently interred, if possible.

2. There are other duties that you owe not as men but _as Christians_.
All of us enjoy the blessings of Christian civilization, even those who
are not Christians themselves. We are dealt with by others on Christian
principles, and we ought to treat others in the same spirit. What duties
does this impose?

(_a_) When your patients are in real danger of death, let them have a
good chance to prepare properly for their all-important passage into
eternity. Give them fair warning of their situation. Doctors and
relations are often afraid of alarming the patients and thus injuring
their health. But those who attend Catholic patients at least soon find
out by experience that the graces and consolations of the Last
Sacraments usually bring a peace of mind that benefits even the bodily
health. In any case, the interests of the future life are too important
to be ignored.

(_b_) For the same reason, the physician should not prescribe such doses
of morphine or other anaesthetics as will render the patient unconscious
at a time when he ought to be preparing to meet his Judge. This would be
not kindness but cruelty. A little suffering more in this life may save
much suffering in the next. If a Catholic priest, on being called to a
patient's bedside, finds that the family's physician has been so
inconsiderate, he cannot help protesting against employing such a man in
Catholic families.

(_c_) If you attend a woman in childbirth, you may be asked by a
Christian mother not to let her child die without Baptism. The vast
majority of Christians believe that this sacrament is necessary to
obtain supernatural happiness. The ceremon