Handron, Clement J.

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The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 7 | Number 2 Article 2April 1939The Physician and the Sacraments (ExtremeUnction)Clement J. HandronFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqRecommended CitationHandron, Clement J. (1939) "The Physician and the Sacraments (Extreme Unction)," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 7 : No. 2 , Article 2.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol7/iss2/2.I THE LINAORE QUARTERLY THE PHYSICIAN AND THE SACRAMENTS (Extreme Unction) By CLEMENT J. HANDRON, M.D., Troy, N. Y. There is so much of the beauti- . the daily routine of the physician's ful in all the ceremonials of the practice. Catholic Church that to isolate Man is a being in whom the two the sacrament of Extreme Unction elements of which he is composed for a particular discussion of its - body and soul-are interactive. beauty would seem rather j ejune. There is no question but that the When to beauty, however, are emotions of worry, fear, remorse added power and significance of and despair, all experienced by the purpose, the subject develops an troubled soul, have definite dele-au'ra of higher dignity. And when terious effects on the body. Simi-to the marks of beauty, power, and larly a diseased body, broken and significance there is added the fact rendered useless, stimulates a hith-that the physician, unlike the lay- erto lethargic mind to contemplate man, is almost daily in contact the soul and its destiny. with the sacrament of Extreme .. Mens sana in corpore sano, Unction, the importance of a dis- fortem posce animum, mortis ter-cussion of that sacrament, espe- rore carentem1'-a sound mind in cially as it is related to the activi- a sound body and a brave spirit ties of the physician, may be read- troubled not by the terrors of ily comprehensible. Second only death. Preachers, writers, states-perhaps to his personal atten- men, all have often quoted the first dance upon his own religious du- portion of the above. Less well re-ties is the doctor's duty in time of membered and less frequently used serious illness to advise the recep- is the latter half. A sound mind tion of the sacrament of Extreme contributes to the enduring sound-Unction. ness, functionally speaking, of the Instituted by Christ to be ad- body. No less realistically does a ministered in impending death, it clean soul (animus) con~ribute to is a part of the last benediction a terrorless death. In this respect that man may receive before mor- alone the Sacrament of Extreme tal dissolution speeds the flight of Undion is unexcelled in signifi-the soul. Received in sequence to cance. It is the only justifiable the sacrament of Penance and to form of euthanasia available to Holy Viaticum and preceding the the Catholic physician. And how final Papal Benediction it pre- significant it is ! Practiced as the pares the spirit for the promised doctor is in the interpretation of Beatific Vision. In the light of the facial expression and accurate in purpose of its existence this Sac- diagnosing "the native act and fig-rament assumes a major role m ure of the heart in complement [ 28 ] THE LINAORE QUARTERLY extern" from the coordinated .ac-tion of facial muscles, it is he who w~uld be first to affirm the un-affected expression of faith on the face of .the sick man who has just received the last sacrament-an expression of faith vastly superior in its marks of beauty to any ob-served during the course of un-troubled life. In addition to the actual spiri-tual power of Extreme Unction there are other perfectly tangible results to be noted during and fol-lowing its administration. These results are likely to be more clearly apparent to the physician and the priest than to the patient or his kin. Reference is here spe-cifically made to the psychologic reaction of the persons at the im-mediate bedside. How often has it been noted that the atmosphere of the sick room, seemingly heavy with doubt and uncertainty, sud-denly becomes clear and light fol-lowing the reception of the last sacrament by the patient. The change is noted by all and to each there may come the impression that the end is not yet, that there is still some hope! Although rea-son may dictate that there has been no material change, yet change of some sort there cer-tainly has been. That change is undoubtedly due to the relief of nerve-muscle tension when the in-dividual emotions of fear and doubt are replaced by confidence and by the conscious satisfaction of something accomplished. The patient becomes less fretful and more at ease. His attitude is more cheerful. He is always relieved in mind and seemingly on not too in-frequent occasions ·in body; for it is common to find that reception of Extreme Unction appears to relieve pain. The patient is buoyed by two separate hopes. If he is not to die, the sacrament just re-ceived will speed his recovery ; and if death is inevitable, he will pass on with a sense of security for the future. In either case, he exempli-fies the last half of the quotation -"fortem posce animum, 'mortis terrore carentem." The patient's relatives console themselves with the thought that their dear one has not gone to his Creator "unanointed and un-anealed." They have consummated a duty not only to their relative but also to their religion and their God. They have also very effec-tively avoided the probable qualms of conscience that would have come should they have been neg-lectful of the step taken. They are likely to experience, too, a marked sense of relief from an-other point of view. An otherwise intelligent and mature individual will often exhibit a morbid and stupid type of solicitude for a pa-tient. It is based upon the actu-ally non-existent terror with which a sick person is supposed to be-come possessed at the mere men-tion of the last sacrament. The possibility of this attitude being found in the sick room is always present. A perfectly splendid but highly emotional husband or wife, brother or sister will at times al-most harshly turn aside the doc-tor's suggestion of Extreme Unc-tion on the entirely false premise [ 29 I THE LINACRE QUARTERLY that the very sight bf the priest with the Holy· Oils is sufficient cause for a grave relapse, an emo-tional storm bordering on hysteria or even sudden death from shock. For this reason, with strong emo-tion clouding reason and judg-ment, Extreme Unction is all too often unreasonably delayed. Only after insistence by the physician has broken down prejudice, do these well-intentioned relatives al-low the priest to administer the sacrament; and only after the threatened storm fails to material-ize do they realize with wonder and awe that they could have been mistaken. Then and only then do they experience the relief of mind that should have been theirs at the first suggestion of the last sacra-ment. As a matter of personal ex-perience the author has yet to see a patient unduly upset by either the pre-announced or the unher-alded entrance of the priest into the sick room for the purpose of ministering to the ill. It should be recalled by medical men both as doctors and as pos-sible patients, that Extreme Unc-tion should be received while the subject is conscious and fully aware of what is taking place. Extreme Unction has an effect on every person present at its ad-ministration and in no little mea-sure on the doctor. The patient may assume one of two attitudes: he may exhibit a heretofore unex-pected strength of will to live. This is of extreme importance, especially in the acute fulminating types of illnesses; or he may more peacefully resign himself to the unswerving course of approaching death. In either instance, he be-comes a lesser trial to an already sorely tried doctor. The will to live in the face of impending dis-aster means that the physician is assured of the fullest cooperation that his patient's intellect, will and physical strength are capable of giving. Every doctor fully real-izes the great powers of these three forces of resistance and as-sistance. Would that the physi-cian always might have all of those factors assisting him! In the other instance the patient conveys by his attitude the impression that the doctor has done his best in a positive manner, has left nothing undone the doing of which might have altered the end result, and having approached the apex of his human limitations must of neces-sity resign his will with that of doctor to the Will which allows them both to live and die to live again. Truly may it be said that the physician has a constant ally in the Sacrament of Extreme Unc-tion. Having so often viewed with in-terest the various difficult si tua-tions encountered in the giving of the last sacrament, the physician is qualified to make some observa-tions on the several mental and emotional attitudes manifested by those in attendance. The first question one might ask is: What is the predominating note in the attitude of the patient toward his reception of the last sacrament. It is probably safe to say that in the large majority of cases, and these regardless of age and sex, r 3o 1 THE LINAORE QUARTERLY the commonly expected reactions of fear varying in degree from simple nervous apprehension through the stages of worry, stark terror, hysteria and despair are the exception rather than the rule. Two notes i"n man's spiritual-material composition predominate, confidence or faith and its sequel relaxation. Confidence is engen-dered by a sense of security; and security of station results in bet-ter neuromuscular coordination so necessary to complete relaxation. There has been present up to now an inhibition in the form of emo-tional tension. In the presence of such an inhibition neither spiritual nor muscular relaxation are pos-sible. With the removal of the in-hibition there is a psycho-physio-logic response allowing the return to full balance of the previously existing imbalance between two opposing autonomic influences. In other words, a peaceful soul in-habits a peaceful body. What may be said of the atti-tude of the physician toward Ex-treme Unction? Just as the doc-tor is likely to be the first to rec-ognize the seriousness of an ill-ness, he should be the first to sug-gest the full measure of consola-tion that the Church can give to his patient. This happens daily. It is interesting to note at this point that most non-Catholic phy-sicinno;; are very conscientious in the matter of advising the family of a Catholic patient that the "last rites" of the Church should be obtained. The attitude of the priest in the sick room while anointing the ill is always inspiring and conducive to the sense of well-being of all. Dig-nified, calm, unhurried, unawed by the close proximity of death, re-assuring in his every word and ges-ture, he figuratively "pours oil on troubled waters" when he anoints with oil the organs of the five senses. The well-modulated voice speaking softly, but distinctly, without quiver or trace of nervous tension, serves to inspire not only him who is the chief object of his attention but also those who rev-erently assist by their presence. Standing quietly and unob-served and somewhat apart from the others during the ceremony the physician has the oft-repeated opportunity of closely observing the composite picture. The pa-tient is conscious and in danger of death, the members of the family are grouped around the bed and the priest in purple stole anoints with the oil of salvation-this is the spiritual preparation for death. If there is beauty in death it can be seen only in the well-prepared; and it has its basis in the sacrament of the dying. Bcautv in death is not to be ob-served under any other circum-stances. I SI I 

The Physician and the Sacraments (Extreme Unction)

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The Physician and the Sacraments (Extreme Unction)

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