The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-03-09
PROGRESS IN SURGERY DURING THE
LAST DECADE.
Contagious and Infectious Diseases.
Cases Lost from Blood Poison-Tumors
and Gunsllot Wounds-The Need of
Higher Medical Education.

and Gunslaot Wounds-The Need of
Higher Medical Education.
Apropos of the interest manifested by the
general public in the proceedings of the ill-
ternational medical congress recently held in
Washington, the following comprehensive
remarks by a prominent New York ply
sician, concerning the progress made i'll
medical science during the last ten years, are
not untimely: progress in tue science of
medicine during the past ten years has been
perhaps as great as during any previous half
century of its history. Formerly medicine
was system of almost pure empiricisn. Its
knowledge consisted of large collection of
undigested observations. But in recent years
much has been done toward laying scien-
tific foundation for the study Of medicine.
Most of this progress is due to advances in
our knowledge of the nature and causes of
disease. This is especially true of contagious
and infectious diseases Here the study of
micro-organisms and bacteria in their rela.
tions to disease has done much to advance
medicine. This has placed in our hands tho
power to absolutely restrict the spread Of
epidemic diseases. It has become now only
question of the application of we'll known
principles. And may add, that it is espe-
cially in the prevention, rather than the cure
Of diseases, that in the future medicine is to
find its highest usefulness
ADVANCES IN SURGERY
ut is the knowledge of the relation Of
micro organisms to disease that has rendered
possible the great advances made in surgery
There is scarcely anything to-day impossible
in surgical science Some idea of this may
be gained from q comparison of the results in
surgery few years ago with those of today
Ten years ago three fourths of all the cases of
major amputatiOn were lost from blood poi
son. Today death from this cause after
surgical operation is almost unknown, and
when it occurs can only he attributed to
almost criminal carelessness or ignorance In
abdominal surgery greater advances have
been made than in perhaps i'll any other
branch. As regards the removal of tunors
a writer of a few years ago said: 4 regard
recovery after such an operation as almost a
miracle and to be considered in the light of
an escape rather than recovery to lie ex-
pected.' Today some prominent English
surgeons i'll a series of cases numbering from
1000 to 2, 600 have had sc and o. per cent, of
recoveries.
Recently wonderful success has attended
operations for gunshot wounds perforsting
the abdomen where many openings have been
made in the intestincs. In number Of in
stances portions of the intestines have been
removed, or from eight to twelve openings
have been closed after opening the abdominal
cavity and complete recovery has ensued
'In brain surgery, also, much has been done
recently. Assesses of the brain have been
opened and drained. The situation of tumors
Of the brain haV been diagnosticated, por-
tions of the skull removed and the tumor cut
out"
OUR MEDICAL SCHOOLS.
Speaking of medical education, the physi-
clan said: "In the condition of our medical
schools, and i'll the general standard of nedi-
cal education, great advances are still to be
made III the past our medical schools have
been almost without exception practically
private institutions without endowment, ari
supported entirely by the fees received from
their students. In this country all kinds of
educational institutions excepting medical
schools, and perhaps law schools, have been
abundantly endowed; but medical colleges
have been left to work out their own future
as best they might. This seems strange,
since there are no nell who come so near to
all classes of the people as the physicians I
suspect that the cause Of it lies with the ply
sicans themselves. There is no philanthropic
question that, if properly presented, would
appeal SO strongly to the reason of an intelli-
gent man as this of the endowment of medi-
cal schools. The difficulty is that many med
ical men are not loyal to their schools or to
their profession After graduation their en-
ergies are devoted, not to the advancement of
the science Of medicine or the elevation of
medical education, but to acquiring compe-
tency. For medicine in the abstract they
care not at all. They would be very chary
about giving any information that would ad-
vance scientific medicine, if ut the same time
it would advance any other medical man to
more profitable practice
"a few generous gifts to medical schools |
have been made. More will be soon. Twenty |
Eve years hence our medical colleges, be- |
lieve, will le as finely endowed as the literary
colleges are to-day. The result will be to ell |
evate the standard Of medical education, and |
we shall haye profession all Of whose prac-
titioners are broad, freely educated, intelli- !
gent men,. L. H. in New York CONNER |
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