The daily gazette., 1881-07-14
The sight. of the Disse.tins.R Room.

Science, and especially medical SCI
ence, bas no doubt often to deal with
details that need not and ought not 10
be published outside of the scientific
sphere. There may be question as
to the right of a professor in medical
college of this city to make target
of human corpses in order to ascertain
the probable direction of a bullet lodg.
ed into the cadaver analogous to those
under which Guiteau attempted to
take the life Of President Garfield,
In spite Of intelligent and very earn
est protest against such form: of ex~
pertinent on the part of persons of un-
doubted intellectually and keen per-
ception of right and wrong, we are in
clined to favor such methods of practi-
cal research into the mysteries of the
causes that produce death, or the dan
ger Of it, by violence.
The experiment of that kind that
has provoked this alluslon was inspired
by desire to discover the probabili-
ties Of the whereabouts of the bullet
that is at this moment endangering
the life of Mr.. Garfield, and we cannot
understand that there is any wrong in
subjecting mass Of senseless flesh
to any such ordeal tor such pur.
pose.
1t Is not q pleasant thing to contem.
plate, but the work that Is done in the
dissecting room does not in any of its
particulars contribute an agreeable
spectacle for the unprofessioDal eye,
The fault in this case seems to be that
an unnecessary publicity has beer
given to the ghastly proceedings.
The sentiment of common decency
on ght to forbid the brutal revelation
through the public press of the prac.
tices by which teachers and students
Of medicine and surgery seek knowl-
edge of human anatomy, and there is,
perhaps, special reason for the avoid
anoe Of publicity in matters Of that
kind when they have an Identification
with national sensation, leaving room
for suspicion Of q purpose of profes
sional advertisement.
The mere act Of experiment, Away
understood that the "subject" has been
legitimately brought into the dissecting-
room, can hardly be considered wrong,
however shocking to lay sentiment the
manner Of experiment may be. 1t can
not be worse to lodge bullet into q
dead body for the sake of science, than
to cut II and pierce 1t and carve 1t, and
lay bare all Its anatomical mysteries un-
der the scalpel and other instruments Of
dissection.
1t is q sight hideous and sIckening to
those that have not professional inter-
est In the operation; but if the law sane
tions 1t and the interests Of humanity
are to be served by 1t, 1t is right aud
commendable, however horrible to the
sense that is not blunted by familiarity
1t is q terrible thing to behold strong
men In battle, torn to pieces by burst
Ing shells or disemboweled by round
shot, or dlsmembered by the explosion
of mine; but those things are among
the chances Of war, and humanity must
forbid war If 1t would forbid its con.
sequences.
So mbst we forbid the advance Of sur
gical and medical knowledge II we
quarrel with the legalized methods
through which that knowledge Is to be
attained. The error In the case reported
was the publicity Of detail given to 1t,
for in the service of science 1t Is not
necessary to make public exhibition
of the revolving details with which 1t has
to deal.-N. Y. Ne,os.