The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-11-21
PU BLISHED AND EDITED BY
HENRY NJ WHITNEY

the aussstnctIcs l. chlOIO!Oru anything moro
than witchery that makes the patient speech
les under the torture, and then ObliteTates the
memory OF il from his Iaind?
That this i not the ease we know, mainly,
from the following; reasons None OF the efseLs
of pain aTC manifested Ia the system during an
operation conducted unier an1s-thetics. None
of tine traces Of pain are LETT behind upon Its
completion. Tie pulse, the Breathing, are COM
pa.ativcly unaffected. There u a speedicr TccOy-
cry than when tic patient has refused the kindly
agent that would have prevented his pain; for
pain may be regarded a disease in itself; and
when It's xell-maTked symptoms are absent We
are sure that pain itself does not exist.
Bellevue Hospital has its romance as well as
It's horrors. Two instances, which fell under the
writer's own observation, were Of especial inter-
est. The first occurred IN the case of u patient
who had long been an inmate Of the hospital.
She was n bright girl of fifteen or sixteen, but
seemed more childish than her years. The sur
esous called her ths, - Flower Of Bellevue" I'm
ike many OF the female Iatients, she was pretty,
modest, and susceptible. An injury 70 her arm
bad kept her lingering from month to month un-
der treatment; and the simple child had used the
time to fall IN love with the young surgeon who
attended her from day To day. She was, how
ever, n very discreet and modest little maiden.
No one suspected the existence Of her hrst, innO-
cent love, unless 1t was tie surgeon himself
who had, think, some paEtiality tyward his fair
patient
But the secret was destined TO be told. An
operation upon the injured ara became necessary.
IL was 10 be one Of considerable scientific inter-
est; and the decision was made,-not without
the consent OF the patient,-tO perform 1t before
the students IN tlBe operating theatre.
The Flower Of Bellevue would not have con-
sented to- this, had sine fJreseen what confusion
she was to make during the operation. She was
brought to the theatre, and the bone exci-ed
from the injured But the chlOTOlJrm
locked her tongue, and she said what she would
have hardly dsTed to whisper t. hcrsclf,-a sin
yular instance of the effect ut ane5thctics; for
people seldom betEay their secrets while under
their influence
As their effects were beginning t. pass away,
during the latteT part OF the operation, she
prised her hearers with rambling, unconscious,
and yet eloquent confession OF her love. The
revelations Of that unguar'ied heart were path
etic-its devotion, its fear OF discovery, its
thusiasm, It's hidden life and romance OF love.
The innOst secret was told. - | love him better
than 1 love heaven" she exclaimed; yet with
voice - sweet and a manner 80 delicate that even
the venerable surgeon who was operating upon
the little dreamer was visibly affected. The stu
dents checked their usual leyity, and listened rs
IN confidence To the sufferers innocent raving.
Returning consciousness soon gave back the little
Inaiden's discretion. In a few weeks she left the
hospital cured.
The other instance belongs To the record of
military surgery. During the late several
thousand wounded soldiers, gathered from the
yuc Hospital for treatment. Some remarkable
cases of pluck occurred in the course of the Oper-
atiOns that had To be made upon these brave ie-
lows. In one instance IL was necessary To remove
large portions of dead bone from the leS of sol
der groove nearly foot in length was To be
chi=eIed, with malet and gougc, in the living tbs
sucs of the tibia- This operation for necrosis,
as surgeons call IL, l. Of the most tedious and
painful operations IN surgery. But the gallant
fellow would take ctIlDrofOrIn. Throwing
Al. III o..
derveut tire bitter torture for long half hour
Not, however, i stole; he laughed, he cursed,
be uttered the most grOtcsquc and humorous
CALCULATIONS alternately. lie chaiied the opera
tor, the students, the attendants, and the science
OF surgery The students, full Of enthusiasm,
cheered and encouraged him. lie bore the pain
like Pagan martyr.
The widest applause greeted him at the close of
the operation. some OF the students, with n quite
Parisian enthusiasm, could hardly be kept from
leaping into the operating PIT and embracing the
sturdy little soldier. lie rOsc from the couch of
pain smiling and covered with blood. IL was
Just before tie reign Of silver coin had ended In
New York. The students threw down TO him a
shower Of - halves and quarters that sIat-
tered over the surface OF the arena.
As soon his wDund was bandaged, this mod
eFn Spartan actually insisted on making n speech
- tie students. The uTbIne operator, DIR.
James +. Wood, consented. Standing ono
Leg, and supporting himself against the operating
table, the - boy IN blue then gave pithy ac-
count OF the battle in which he had been wound
ed, and Of the way in which he received this
hurt. At the close OF mis- little speech there was
another round Of applause and farewell con-
triDutiOu Of silver; and the soldier WIS borne
away To his bed. The 'pluchy corporal Is not
forgotten yet in Bellevue Hospital.
Ihe young men who do tire actual medical
work in the hospital appointed seJni-annually,
by competitive examinations. The appointments
are much sought after. In eighteen months OF
hospital life they see more OF disease and of Its
treatment than they would in their first ten years
Of private practice. Each one of these sin
ternes-' makes two rounds daily through his
wards. which generally contain SIXTY eighty
patients,-the whole number in the hospital be-
ing about a thousand. These young men are
under the supervision OF their seniors, the visit
ing physicians and surgeons; and the latter
are readily summoned in case of difficulty, il Is
found that the interests of the patients do not
suffer. There are over 5000 admissions in each
year TO this hospital; the mortality seven
Ter cent Six hundred births occur annually in
the Iving-in wards. This department Is mainly
filled, like the Of tine hospital. by the poor,
who cannot afford to employ private medical at
tendance The students, under the direction of
a professor, are admitted 70 these wards. This
opportunity for study IS claimed IN return for the
charity which furnishes the destitute mothers,
often for months, with an asylum and skllful
medical attendance. u
Some Hawaiians have been graduates of Belle
yue-Drs. ii. VI. Lyman and L. VI. COan among
Others OF former Island practitioners, there is
now but one in New YOrk,-Dr. LathrOp. The
Doctors family are residing in Dire, den, where
ne proposes to rejoin them this winter. Since
leaving the islands DIR. Lathrop has been occu-
pied with business to the exclusion of his prac-
tice. Enough of hospitals for the present.
CALANUs.
CHUNG HOON.