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

gentlemen knife in hand. sevsriug limb from
trunk, securing the bleeding vessels, amid tho
shrieks Of the wounded, and the groans Of the
duty could he Be engaged in
In the practice Of surgery there are two entirely
separate divisions, VIZ, civil, and military-both,
fortunately, not possessing The same advantages to
the patient. The surgeon in civil practice, sur
rounded as he is, "pnticularly in large Cities"
with all the comforts and iuxuries Of life; With
friends and relations to console and comfort the pa
tient in the hour of trouble and affection With the
advantages of the advice AMI experience of men
whose talents, and position in the community TO
say the least) removes from them that immense
responsibility, and serves as q guarantee to the
public, and consolation to the surgeon, that JUS
tice has been done to the sufferer But how differ
ent picture have we in the practice of an army
surgeon; deprived most always of those little COM
forts, which, to the SICK and wounded, tend to make
life supportable; obliged sometimes to transport
them for miles in the rear far away from those
TIES which seem, to constitute our very being; in
strange land and uncongenial climates often, even,
deprived OF the common necessaries Of life Doesit
as.9nisn you, gentlemen, that the brave and hardy
SOLDIER should frequently from moral causes alone.
honor and immortality? But these are not the only
disadvantages he has to combat with. His pa
tients, crowded together in some close, unhealthy
spot subject to the epidemics of the land; entirely
at the mercy of hireings, whose inattention often
thwart him, in the very moment Of apparent sue
cess-obliged frequently to remain an almost inac-
tive spectator to mat most terrible Of al asas ers
posed as much as the bravest in the army, he is
deprived of that enthuia sm which carries them on
to face the danger! Obliged from the nature of his
profession to remain calm and collected, without
the advantages of consultation, and with all the
responsibility of the life OF fellow being in his
hands-he has to perform the most difficult and
dangerous operations, wz the hga'u OF large
and important arteries. His duties begin when all
others are wrapt in repose During the day he is
subject to the same fatigue as the lowest 10 the
ranks, and at night he is obliged to devote himself
to the care of his sick that the dawn Of day may
find him prepared for the march If misfortune and
retreat should be the fate of the army, and all seek
safety in fight, his obligations to his patients still
exist and % must not forsake them" Yes, gem
temen If he cannot share in the glory of the SOL
der, he must be his companion in distress. | pass
over scenes which fresh in my mind, and the
memory of which, even at this late period,
express, and which fall to the lot Of the army
surgeon too frequently to witness. Imagine
to yourselves long train Of covered wagons,
slowly and cautiously returning from the rear of
victorious army, approaching city where
the news had already reached; and the joyful peas
of merry bells is almost drowned in the shouts of
triumph! How suddenly the seene changes
"the ambulance is coming" and as suddenly as
death itself the joy has changed to gloom the
bells them selves seem no longer to add to the uni
versal gladness, but toll death kne to the hearts
Of widows and mothers. | would fail were to at
tempt to describe the grief that your presence has
called forth, when, like deaths messenger, you
are called upon to announce to each her separate
sorrow and affection, or, when obliged to wit
ness the frantic grief with which mother, or fond
wife, presses to her bosom the mangled and Grip
pied form Of the object Of her love- You are
about, gentlemen, embarking yourselves with me
on journey Of four months, during which time it
will be my duty to demonstrate those intricate and
important regions which the surgeon is constantly
called upon to explore in his profe ssicnal
To some, perhaps, who are candidates for the
honors Of this University more particularly do |
m n
Of dsse ctons prepare yourselves well in anatomy,
for it is the foundation for both physician and sur
geon. No man should pretend to treat the slight
est affection whatsoever, If he does not understand
the natural position Of the parts which he wishes
to act, any more than to undertake to find his way
across the Atlantic, when he is ignorant of navi-
cation. Ignorance makes q man presumptuous,
and what may be considered by some as holiness,
is, in truth, rashness. Since the discovery ana
thesic properties of that great blessing to hui
manity, chloroform, and the other, operations
have become more numerous; not that the neses-
sity is more frequent, but the kno Wedge of this
agent has had q tendency to cause the patient to
give willing and often incautous consent, to per-
haps an unjusti6able operation If, then, it is your
discrimination to become surgeons, ground your
selves In this most important branch and as the
means are abundant, benefit by them, and you will
reap harvest of success. Be not carried away BY
any Of the idle psthies oe the day, whether II be
hydIopathy, or homeopathy for a man who
would consent t. trihe with human life, when me-
naeed by disease, with sugar plums or cold water.
IS no petteT tnan the MAJ VINO Oi1 no, throw you
into the water but who, by his pretence Of suscor,
allows you to be drowned. The method intendt,
adopt, during the ensuing winter, and which hope
will prove beneficial to you as students, will DO as
practical it will be possible for me to make IL,
as to enable you moro fully to understand your
subject. i shall, in the first place, bring under
your notice the healthy structure Of part and on
that build the pathology and, whenever it is prac-
ticable, shall demonstrate the treatment or ope-
ration necessary to afford relief. AS the time al
lotted to course Of lectures is short, my object
will be to give you as many practical facts as pos
sible; and trust that, at the end Of the course,
you win devote yourselves to the literature of the
profession. My object will be to teach you-not to
make display Tor mere selfish purposes; and thus
hope to be able to fit you for whatever path it
may be your intention to pursue, be It civil or mill.
tary. To those of you who wish to direct
their attention more particularly to surgery,
! will take this opportunity of inform
ing them that my ambition will be to make
surgeons Of them, not operators only To teach
them how to save limb rather than to sacrifice 1t
and thus instl into your minds those principles Of
that great and good man Professor Go imam, who
operator is to be estimated by contrasting them.
The surgeon inquiries into the causes and removes
the consequences Of constitutional or local disease
The operator inquiries into the willingness Of his
patient to submit; and resorts TO the knife The
surgeon relies on the restoration OF the healthy
actions by regimen; the operator relies on himsen,
and cuts of the diseased part The surgeon, reflect
ing the comfort and feelings Of his patient uni
formly endeavots to saye him from pain and de-
formity. The operator considers his own i'm
mediate advantage, and the notorety he may
acquire, regardless OF other considerations. The
surgeon Is governed by the principles Of the science
The operator, most generally, by the principle of
interest. One is distinguished by the numbers he
has saved from mutilation, and restored to usssIi-
ness, the other by the number OF cripples he has
successfully made. The surgeon is an honor TO his
profession, and benefactor Of mankind. The
mere operator renders the profession odous aud is
one OF the greatest curses to which mankind.
among their manifold mseries, are exposed"
Many suppose that to become a surgeon, il is only
necessary to acquire q sufficient knowledge Of
anatomy to enable you to expose the hidden mys-
teries OF nature, without endangcring Immediately
the lie OF your patient. They pretend to Place q
limit 70 the amount OF requirement necessary to
constitute surgeon. and TO dictate as to what
enters into bis province and what properly belongs
to the ply stefan. The day has gone by when this