The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-05-21

laboratory, has traced out the pro-
Rress Of morbid action aud painted
Tor our practical usa the different organa
Of the body % they appear In the ever
changing course Of disease. And thus are
We enabled to-day to take our place by the
side Of the sick, and with such modern
methods IS auscultAtiou and percussion,
diagnose with Q precislon that would have
almost fairfield "old man medicine" even
filty years ago, diseases OF the heart, lungs,
blood vessels far out Of the reach oil yision.
Modern invention has given Us instru.
ments Of diagnostic value 90 great
% to have entirely created special
ties in practice which In this coun'
try at least did not exist thirty years ago.
By the aid Of the ophthalmosCopei the
hidden structures Of the eve are revealed,
By the laryngoscope the human laIynx Is
brought in all It's beautiful mechanism be.
fore our vision. And thus the modern
physician learns disease, and isenRbled to
give sight to the blind and voice to
those who speak not. In gynaecology,
one OF the younger children Of medicine,
the speCulum, the uterine sound, the Gu
rette and other instruments now in COM
mon use, have rendered possible 90
many operative procedures, that the
treatment OF Women's diseases has been
completely reyolnlionizsd. Marion Sims
with his duck.bill spectrum and silver
wire Buture, and many 'ot his disciples
and co-lAborers, with other inventions al.
most equally useful, have 90 Himpli6ed
many OF the operations on the female
organs, that such patients are no longer
relegated 10 the renowned few In our
great cities. The enc modern operation
OF oVariotomy, first performed in our own
country within the lie time Of OF least
one Of our own members, 10
said To have already added 10000
years Of lie to women, The removal and
other treatment Of uterine tumora by
modern methods, have also saved many
valuable lives. Obstetrics have been res.
cued from the hands oil ignorant mid wives,
and elevated to the position Of science, |
may but name the thermometer, the
sphygmogrRph, the aspiratOr, hypodermtC
medication, the modern methods oil study
ing the physiological action OF medicines,
the growth OF conservative surgery, the
exClSion and stretching Of nerves Tor other
wise incurable neuralgia, and lastly,
not to weary you with further
mere enumeration, thu browning discovery
OF the age, araE,ltsSi4, But for this many
Of the above and other unnamed opera.
tons would be impossible; while by Ito
aid surgery Ia robbed Of itS terrorS, part.
uEition may be stripped OF its pAngs,
land the physician may OF his wlllcompel
suffering 10 disappear, and distress itself
10 be quiet" i.
Before America had finished q half
century Of her independent OK.
istence, Sydney Smith Bnsered; "In
the four quarters Of the globe
who reads an American book?" Speaking
for modern American physicians answer
the works Of our own Dunglison, Dalton,
Wood, Bartholow, Daoosta, Gross, Ham.
llLon, Burnstead, Flint, Hammond, Weir,
Rooaa, Thomas, Peaslee, Sims
and othors, are eagerly read and highly
priced by the most accomplished physi.
clans the world over.
Such are some Of the triumphs Of modern
physic.
"sciSnes moves, but slowly, slowly,
sNfAHb va hVAA PSlus W PVihh
We may then congratulate ourselves
that medical science has at least kept pace
with her sisters. t......
And now what are the demands OF mod.
ern physlCT
FiHt-A liberal culture should preCede
professional study. The time has passed
when an uneduCated man can take rank
among his brethren as an accomplished
phySiCian. He may indeed SECURE prac.
lice, but that is not always proof Of great.
est skill, and should not be the chiei aim
In life.
Second The modern physician should
be literally educated in the profession.
Two short courses OF lectures ct @ medical
school that may be made profitable by
close attention and application, and may
not be-Will no longer suffice 10 place the
physician in the front rank OF his PROBES.
zion. The modern physician appreciates
his fact. Europe Is flooded yearly with
physicians, young and old, who
20 to supplement their studies by I'D.
litional work In the laboratories, and
observation In the great clinics OF
The old world, or to develop som Q
speciality for which better op.
portuultleB are afforded there than here.
A thorough foundation upon which 10
rear aSuperstruCture from practical expe.
Renee, can never be properly laid except
Il be In the yearB before the cares Of an
active practice are upon ts.
Third-No advance In medical knowl.
edge worth striving for, can be- attained, II
the physician bases his practice upon
some exclusive dogma. With the liberal
culture here called Tor, we need not fear
that the modern physician will pursue
that ignus fatuus: "Hmilid amilibs1 GU.
rantur," or that he will place any faith In
the potency OF dlutlons."p Modern
demands that he shall rise above
such decisions. Nor Ia II becoming In
him 10 place some Catch-word upon bis
sign 10 dupe the unwary, while at the
same time he In serious cases resorts to
rational therapeutics, and disCards his sugar
pellets whose sweetness may win him
some practice.
But may mot add 10 these hasty words,
although the character Of this audience
temptB me. ............
In conclusion, may l urge my younger
friends In the profession, II we would
leave 10 our successors 90 large 0 legacy Of
good new things as has been left 10 Us by
the physicians Of the past hall century,
'Aen, my, brothsrI, be The vOtkerb ever reaplns
That which 6li been done but earnest Of the things
that We may dol" . Il,
r.aS.a.... W.a...