Bismarck tribune., 1879-10-10

OvCA ucl SuOulUcF pcCpcu-
Over her ruffling collars; 49,, =, .+s:
On the golden sand she scrawled: 49, e--e-- e-e-- :
100000.
-Ha,per's Bazar.
MEDICAL "REMINISCENCES.
A Chat With DR.. Prkerof New York on his
10Th Birthday. ~ Il
From the New York world. - n fFE1 kNR
DR.. Willard Parker, the eminent sur
geon and physician Of this city, began
his eightieth year yesterday; having been
born with the century. He spent his
birthday in New Canaan, Conn.,, an old
fashioned New England village nesting;
among the hills Of Fairfield county, DR.
Parker, whose country-sc is about half
a mile from the village proper, at the top
of : eminence SIX. hundred feet above!
the sea level, and commanding magnif-
cent view Of Long Island Sound, was
loeking and feeling younger than most
men 90 at fifty. His hand is as steady
as ever,1 and his eyes as brightas young
mans. "It was forty years ago." he said
to World reporter who had asked him
for some "reminiscences of the advance of
medical and surgical science in those
forty years, "when I first opened an Office
in New York at the corner Of Broadway
and Bleecker street. I was there about
two years and then removed to the corner.
of eighth street, now the Sinclair house.
I was there eight years, iat the end Of
and built the house have lived in ever
since about thirty years ago." 49,,
Chow do the physicians Of to-day
compare with those Of, thirty years
ago?' - -
"Well, to tell the truth, don't think
the general practitioner is any more sue
cessful, Notwithstanding there have been
so many great. discoveries. But if these
discoveries have not resulted in any great
benefit to the present race Of docto1s,
they may very materially aid the prac-
titioner of the future. The medical men
of to-day are inclined to go too much on
theory, think, and that is almost sure to
result in occasional very great mistakes.
Take pneumonia, for instance. In the
old times that was not considered to be
very dangerous disease; but nowadays,
when the disease is treated theoretically,
if person gets pneumonia, he is apt to
think that his life is in great peril. A I
cannot help thinking that we have too
many specialists nowadays. Formerly a
doctor was supposed to treat all kinds Of
diseases. Now we have oculists, obstet-
ricians, neuralogists, doctors who make
a speciality of diseases of the lungs and
heart, and so on and so forth. This is all
very we'll to a certain degree, but I
think It has been overdone in this
country" ~a "g.,r. .'% - I"
''What are some of the most impor-
tant discoveries that have been made
in medical science in your time?
Anasthetics, I suppose, would stand
tirst?: .sT Ns@fIatGd#t% Y
"Well, the discovery of anesthetlcs is
certainly one OF the most Important
Chow used you to get along in serious
surgical operations before the days Of
anasthetics?" u-4. ..I 4
eve had not so very much trouble. IF
we had to cut off mans leg, or do any
other important surgical operation, it was
our custom to give the patient a good
stiff horn of whisky or brandy, which
acted in the same way. only not so pow
erfully. We did not make the patient i
drunk, but did the operation while he
was partly under the influence Of alco-
hol. By the use of ether or chloroform
we have a very great advantage, to be
sure, for their effects are more powerful.
They put the patient in a state:of the
most profound insensibility, which ena-
bles US to operate more carefully and de-
liberatcly. Of course it is q, great com
fort to the patient, as he can undergo any
operation without any pain save the men
tai fear and anxiety. Speaking of anas-
thetics reminds me Of the, fact that I
might have been the accidental discov7
erer of an an@sthetic.r When was d 1ec-S
turer at the Pittsfeld Medical school it
was common custom Of the students to
pour sulphuric ether on their hand dker-
chiefs and inhale it for st1mulant. |
Some of them used to breathe it until lit |
had put them into the second stage Of ac-
tivity and excitement. iIf one of them
had kept it up until the third stage n
that of stupor and profound insensibil-.
ity-had been reached, we might per.
haps have made the discovery right
there" 31Vlsl
ssWhat country has done the most to-
ward advancing thel ,sciancs IF medicine
and surgery during the past thirty or
forty years?' q y 9.I1 I
say that the Germans have dons 1.-The most. a
When first went to EuroRo for the pur- 4
pose Of study visited the principal p hos; hos
Ipitals Of England and France. Germany