The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-10-28


The COMMENCEMENT OF THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
THE INTRODUCTORY LECTURE OF PROFESSOR
MOTT.
The medical department of the Washington Uai-
vsrsity of Maryland had its commencement in
Baltimore on Tuesday, the 2lst inst. DIR. Valen-
tine Mott, Jr., of this city, who had received the
appointment Of Professor Of Surgery, delivered the
Introductory address. 1t is interesting, and is as
follows
THE ADDRESS.
GENTLEMEN:-Tolthe kind consideration Of the
gentlemen composing the faculty of this university
am indebted for the honor of addressing Won this
evening, and the important responsibility Of LAYING
before you those Princ pies, which to guide yoa
in the practice OF surgery, which, at the present
period, has be,ome one Of the most important and
intricate branches Of the medical profession. It
will be my duty to make you acquainted With the
theories Of men, tn living and dead, who have made
an epoch in the advancement of surgery; and will
leave to your own Judgment to embrace that which
you think most consistent. And lastly, gentle men,
shall give you thelresults of what have witnessed
myself, and trust that shall be enabled to make
the hours We are destined to pass together both
useful and agreeable. II is unnecessary for me to
tell you how sincerely feel the Importance OF the
duty row before me, and how difficult it will be for
me to accomplish it to your benefit, and the honor
OF this university. TO be enabled to hope for sue
cess in my undertaking, it will be necessary for me
to bespeak your cooperation, for it is only by dill
gent and unremitting attention to the instruction
It will be my duty to impart, and zealously pursu
ing course Of practical anatomy, that can ever
be enabled to fit you for tho important trusts
one day to be confded to you as surgeons.
Cast retrospective glance on the past, and you
will find that that which is now considered noble
science, was, comparatively, a few years since en-
tirely left to the mercy of BARRIERS and few en-
pyrics. That might certainly be justly termed the
" barbarsus age of surgery" In those days, when
it thought necessary to resort TO the operation
Of amPutation, not only was the unfortunate VIC
tim subjected to the greatest possible torturs by the
unskilful manner in which the operation was pei
formed but, as species of bonnie 60uche at its nae
the stump was plunged into pot of boiling pitch
so common was the use Of the actual cautery,
red hot iron. that the arrival of the surgeon the
irons were placed in the fire as preliminary step
to the dressing of q sore. Wounds which otherwise
would have healed if left to the beautiful
Of nature, were stuffed with basa ms aud weeds,
thus bidding farewell to all chance Of adhesion
After short period, so degraded was this science
that it was considered beneath the notice, and
may say, dignity of physician to practice it; and
at last, in about the middle Of the twelfth century,
the clergy were restrained by order of the council
of Tours, from undertaking any bloody operations
under this pretext, EccleSier dbsorrea sdnguine'
And thus it was that surgery was reectet from the
universities. 1t then fell into the hands of the
laity, who were totally ilterate; and lastly, was
delivered up to the tender mercies of the BARRIERS.
This, the dark age Of surgery, lasted for nearly five
hundred years, when it was revived by the writing
of Antonio Beneveue, physician OF Florence, and
ancient French surgeons. Since then, We have
steadily advanced in that great and noble science,
to the benefit of mankind and what different
picture have We now before u.s. The knife has lost
its sting, and the cold and death-like shudder Of
the patient into whose quivering flesh your knife
was plunged, is now wrspt In the sium oera of
chloroform-he lays quiet and innocent VIC
tim, to live or succumb to your pro
fessional requirements or Ignorance. With
what pride We date our present era, with its
discoveries in the Arts and Sciences and we perhaps
may hereafter be known, as having lived in the age
Of steam. But, were to wish to date my existence,
agent which has so greatly lessened the extent of
human suiferings. 1t is your duty, gentlemen, to
devote your time to study and improvement; 1t is
your duty to become thoroughly acquainted with
those intricate remfcations of arteries and nerves
with their relations one with the other. With what
feelings operator must approach the table around
which weeping friends and sobbing children are con-
gregated. wife and mother clinging to the one to
whom che has devoted her life, living, but, in that
confidence which q surgeon alone can inspire; "and
he, ignorant Of Relative Anatomy" with one slip
of the knife, one error in his anatomy of relation;
he renders her widow and has children fatheress
Imagine for a moment that you are called upon to
tie the sdbclavin artery, which has been lacerated
by gun shot; the parts scarcely disinguishabe one
from another; ONO hyoid axla, plexus oil nerves and
arteries all altered in arance, and prese at no
thing but O dark heterogeneous mass; there you
might suppose th at the anatomy of relation would be
Of service but there are parts that you could ex
pose, say, the scalene muscles; or, by the action
Of the ONO hyoid in degutition, which would at
once point out your position, and, like the polar
star to the lost mariner, guide yos safely on your
journey. You may all, for what l know, be
ware, that there is q carotid artery, deep
jugular vein, AMI pneumogastric nerve that
the carotid artery, at a cert ain distance up tho
neck, bifurcates. But are you aware OF the relar
tive position of artery, vein, and nerve, and In
what manner to pass your aneurismal needle, so
as to avoid wounding the vein 7 Yet there are
men who, without any other guide than q pulsa-
tion," will cut down and attempt the igature Of
this vessel. Is it astonishing that they sometimes
tie the omo-hyoid DO not enter into the study OF
your profe ssion with minds bent gain-to few is
allotted in our ranks the benefits of wealth. But,
gentlemen, We have it in our power to confer more
than wealth can purchase. Will money arrest the
gangrenous sore, or save leved friend from the
jaws Of our common enemy Whose hand only
can smooth the pillow Of sickness, or ease US in
our dying hours Devote yourselves to the pur-
suit OF science-visit the rich and the poor indis-
criminately, and never refuse to assist fellow
creature in distress, whether he be the inmate Of
hovel, or the princely occupant OF palace. lie.
member that the poor man will be your hrst and
truest friend. To his judgment of your qualifcas
tions, and his gratitude for your kindness, will be
due your future success. For, unlike those
not purchase your assistance with gold, and
thus divest himself OF all inconvenient OBJ
legations. 1t is by practising our profession with
these views, regarding IL one Of philanthropy aud
world, and justly pride ourselves in following the
foottteps Of our Saviour, the first and greatest OF
physicians. The life Of a surgeon Is, perhaps, Of
stantly excited by vie wing the suferings Of others
his life passed in the daily contemplation Of the
miseres to which poor human nature is subject
and what to him is the most trying Of ALL 'is to be
a calm spectator Of deaths steady march, and
unable to check IL. What heart would not be
filed, at such a moment, with deep and solemn
emotion More particularly so must II be to the
medical man. for in II is reflected his own insignia
canoe, and he must, If not openly, tacity ac-
knowledge the supremacy Of an almighty and
all powerful God Take the operating room,
with all its terrible paniments, the trembling
patient staggering to the table, from which he
never may arse, lying down in all the confidence
of your skill, resgnng himself to the hands Of his
surgeon and his Maker. What must be the feel
ings Of that man (if man he beg, whose ignorance
may close the eyes Of his patient in an eternal
slumbor 7 Now, then, Is the time, gentlemen to
lay down that foundation which in after life il to
l. 81. -