Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-11-19
EVENING STAR
SKETCHES OF A MEDICAL STUDENT IN
PARIS.
BY B0NJILL SIMHAwL
Ne. 1.-THE Death of Dupuytren.

man of action He was to be admired less for
theCretic invention than for n prcdigious fac
ulty of application. His scientific discover
les do not permit him to rank with Petit. n
Pott, or Desault while, on the other hand,
that marvellous skill which he exercised
that fecundity Of resources in the midst of the
most dangerous cOmplicati0n-that admirable
quickness Of vision-that infailible judgment
by the touch, made him the FIRST practitioner
in science where practice follows the foot
steps of theory.
His character, as might be supposed, was
moulded by the profession his genius had
destined him to follow. This man, who had
every day in his hands the lives Of so many
human beings, whose decrees were without
appeal, could not have much sympathy for
poor and pitiable humanity, which, seen from
so near point of view, appeared to him so
small matter yJhen compared with the sue
cesstul results Of his practice Besides which
the heart becomes habituated to see suffering.
For these marshals of science individual lives
are regarded in the same light as soldiers
whom it is necessary to sacrifice in order to
gain great battle
We must confess, in spite of the respect due
to so great a man, that Dupuytren, perhaps
more than any other, looked upon life aud hu-
manity with profound and sad disdain. His
character was harsh cold, and despotic lie
carried into the world, into his exterior reIa-
tons, that rigorous and innexible will which
made his pupils and sUbordinates in the hos
| pital trcnble. Popular eXaggeratiOn relates
| cruel acts Of that sovereign contempt which
he had for humanity, and il would pain US TO
relate facts with which our memory is only
| too we'll supplied. dis colleagues were
wounded by his pride and pretersiOus to ex-
elusive dominion. The retirement &C PeIIc-
tonic whom he owned more than respect-a
retirement provoked by him, revived and par
ticularized his antipalby. SO that when NJ
81 Orfia, Larrey, Pariset, BOuiland, Roger
| CollaId, &c pronounced over ais open tomb
| The most magnificent panegyric on the father
! of modern surgery, none Of them dared to go
| further and accord even enc Of the common
| eulOgies Of private life-oac Of the amiable
| and affectiOnate virtues Of the fire -side-to
| the man whom death bad just taken Du-
| puytren was regretted but unmourned for
| Pushing to the last limits his doctrine of alb
sOlute pOsitiveness, Dupuytren combatted
with the most determined ardor against every
thing that be called utOpien speculation. BY
| degrees his antipathy degenerated into exc
Grafton. His high position at the Court OF
| Restoration sometimes, however, wreSted from
| aim certain concessions froLe these principles
| so irrevocably rooted in his mind. But the
dissimulation to which Dupuytren resigned
himself without appearing to cost him much,
| only irritated him, and increased his hatred
for opinions not his own, and for persons who
| maintained those opinions.
Dupuytren worked almost constantly, and
few men have led life SO busy az his Win.
| ter and summer he rose at FIVE O'Clock in the
morning HE visited the Hotel Dieu at seven
| and remained there until eleven He ther
| made his visits, and returned home to receive
| nvaiids for consultation. Although he dis
missed them with a celebrity almost brutal
| every day, they were so numerous that hi:
consultations were often prolonged after night
| lad come
One day the consultations were prolonged
| even later than usual, and Dupuytren, ex.
hausted by fatigue, was about taking some
repOsc, when the last patient presented him.
| self at the door Of his cabinet
He was an old man, Of short stature, whose
| age it was difficult to divine. His face, ful
and rosy, over which il was evident a razor
lad never passed, had something about il
| plump and delicate. Beneath brow slight
| ~ turrowed with wrinkles, he had a vel
| formed aquiline nose and a small mouth Hi
| hands and feet were in proportion to his di
| ninutive size In his olue eyes-in his phys
| iOgpOmy-in his gestures-there was timidity
sweetness and exquisite goodness He car
| ried in his hand stout cane, and he wa
dressed in deep black When he bowed ht
| exposed a large tonsure-it was that OF
priest.
Dupuytren regarded him with cold and
| icy look
"What is the matter with you 2' said he
harshly.
| doctor" replied the priest mildly q 1 ask
permission to sit down. My poor legs are
| rather old Two years ago | had a swelling
IN. my neck The medical officer of my vii
lage Il am cure Of D., near NemOurs) told
me at first it was Of NO consequence, but i
| went on increasing, and at the end of foul
| months an abscess opened itself / kept ny
bed long time without it healing up, ana
then was obliged to get up, for I have L
serve four villages, and d"-
"ShOw me your neck. -
| aft ia true" continued the old man. obey
| ing hiU3, 'that these brave people offered L
| corgregatc in one Ct the villages every Sun
| day in order to hear mass, but they work very
| hard during the week, and have only thai
| day 10 rest. | thought 10 myself il is not
right that rybody should Inconvenience
himself for me. And then, you know, there
are first communiOns, catechisms, &c Hi:
lordship the bishop at last sent me eonfeyt
to assist mo. Then lay paIishioners told Inc
to come to Paris to consult you L was some
time deciding, because travelling costs good
| deal Of money, and there are great many
| poor people IN my parishes, but they insisted
| upon it, and L Obeyed. Here is my disease,
| Doctor continued he, extending his neck.
| Dupuytrcn examined it for long time.
| The neck Of the invalid presented hole mOIs
than an inch in diameter, and very deep. II
was an abscess OF the Submaxillary gland,
complicated with an aneurism Of the carOted
artery. The wound was gangrened in several
| places, and the case was of so grave char
| aeter that Dupuytren was astonished that the
| invalid could Stand before him.
lie widened the lips of the wound in order
t. scrutnize it more closely, and examined
tie neighboring parts with pressure sufh
cicntly painful TO cause any one TO faint away
The patient did not even tremble. When the
examination was ended, Dupuytren brusquely
| turned the head that he had between his two
hands, and said with sinister voice:
"Well Monsieur pAbbe, You must die"
The Able picked up his linen, and began t
tie up his neck, without saying word Du
puytren fixed his eyes upon him all the time
| When he had finished binding up his wound
the priest drew from his pocket five frame
piece, enVeloped in paper, and put 1t on thu
chimney piece.
Doctor, am not rich, and my poor art
very poor said be, with gentle smile
Z" and forgive me-, if L cannot pay better fe'
| for q cOnsuItatiop with DIR. Dupuytren. L an