The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-11-12

7
remedy. and those who decry all advance.
ment and lind iDefiiciency and imperfection
in everything. ! desire TO direct your atten-
| ton 10 Al abuse of terms. az 10 appears To me
10y which great improvements in our work
ore obstructed and injustice done both to
surgery and surgeons / wish to make plea
for progressive surgery.
webster defines the word Conservative
"a follows Having power 10 preserve in a
/ safe OF entire state. or from loss. waste, or
, injury" All will ooncede at once that in time
/ OF peril 20 health or life this word embOdles
the purpose uppermost in the surgeons en-
beavers and the object Of ali his labors. This
term IA conspicuous ono IN surgery. and
has been used 10 indicate and classify certain
] surgical procedures known "a conservative
surgery But Of late this term has been made
10 have very wide and altogether arbitrary
/ significance. and - often used ia antithesis 10
/ progressive surgery. Indeed. 10 has come 10 be
used 10y certain surgical writers and speakers
rs syn, nym us with the ri 'expectant. "
t. mark meth uds wherein nature is left I'M
aided IN her efforts e. resist disease and in
Jury. I no word IL very winning TO the pOpu-
lar professional mind, as we'll as TO the laity.
. and IN its perverted sense is misleading and
deceptive We should enter protest
I against tho perversion f the word "c0nser-
Yatisn' when thnt word Is used O. approve
and retard progress in surgery the
supreme purp Sc and object Of which is TO
Z preserve IN safe or entire state. OF from loss.
waste. or injury.
After going into some details in criticism
IN reference TO methods carried out in tho
modern surgery and gynecology. DR. Nc
/ Murtry concluded his address with the follow
ing
PROGRESS SCIENTIFIC.
Fortunately for science and humanity no
| amount of instrumentation and unjust
criticism can permanently obscure tho truth
or obstruct the progress of science. Every
great improvement in surgery must pass
through the fierce ordeal of criticism before
emerging into the fixed position Of established
! acceptance. 10 has been our lot TO see dur
| Ing the past decade the greatest achievements
| Of modern times IN surgery firmly established
/ despite the fierce criticism and misrepresenta-
| ton of men and methods The progress Of
/ surgery like that OF all sciences. is an earnest
| and persistent search for truth
When Marian Sims announced through
+ the columns Of the British Medical Journal
that he believed the proper course of treat
/ ment IN every case OF gunshOt wound of the
| abdomen Is 10 open the abdomen. search for
the bleeding points and secure them and
( suture intestinal perforatiOns he was pro-
n0unoed by many prominent surgeons 10 be u
+ dreamer. Though hinlOch had performed this
/ operation unsuccessfully in 1868, II was not
adopted by the pro. essiOn. The suggestion
| OF Sims was most timely, and shortly
| afterwards Ball successfully performed the
/ operation. For years the treatment
Of opium in full doses was pursued with death
J in waiting. Now there Is scarcely State IN
1 the Mon that one OF more patients have not
/ been rescued from certain death by prompt
/ resort 10 operative treatment. ! mention these
| circumstances b illustrate and emphasize the
/ point which l wish especially 10 bring before
! your attention. viz that surgery is advanced
more by tie aggTessiyeness Of the surgeon
! than by tlmldlty. In the face Of desperate
/ conditions Of disease and injury. where there
can be no safety whatever III delay and pallia-
| ton. the only treatment worthy Of consldera-
ton is the aggressive course which promises
success. Under such conditions the most
/ heroic surgery 10 conservative. and any other
course IS not conservative.
lone Of the most convincing arguments as
/ TO the efficiency Of surgery IS that surgeons
| believe IN Il. That they do so believe is at
/ tested by the prOmptness with which IL IL
/ invoked IN behalf OF their own lives and that
/ OF members of their own families.
! Those members Of our profession who are
not familiar with operative work. or who do
surgery as o last resort. or under protest. are
+ disposed to oppose surgical treatment. They
! look upon surgery as dangerous, only TO be
/ resOrted TO "a last desperate chance. And
/ they are right 10 this extent only. 10 IS dan
/ gerous when utilized as q last resort. not
/ otherwise. When the whole profession real
| ICES that surgery is at all times conservative,
/ when major operations are performed by
/ those who believe in surgery and have by APP
premiership acquired surgical skill, then Will
/ the progress of this great science and art be
unobstructed by misunderstanding and mis-
/ representation"
OTHER PAPERS READ.
/ DR.. Thomas Adds Emmett, the distin-
/ euished surgeon Of New Yor k city. and tho
/ honored guest of the Association read paper
ION injuries 20 the pelvic floor and the meth
Cd Of repairing the same Or. Emmet illus
/ trated his discourse on the black board. when
/ he explained number Of bis operations.
The remainder Of the session was taken
/ ND by the reading of the following papers.
/ The Part the Shoulders Play in Producing
/ Lnceration of the Perineum with Sueges-
tons for It's Prevention" by w. ID. Haggard.
/ NJ ID. Nashville. Tenn. The surgical treat
ment Of anterior displacement Of tho uterus
/ bv G. A. L. Reed, NJ. d.. Cincinnati. O. The
growth of fbrOid juniors OF the uterus after
I the WenOpause, by Joseph laber johnson.
NJ d.. Washington. ID. G. "Ihinness Of
uterine wall Stimulating eAtrauterae preR
nancy. e" by George j. Engelmaun, NJ. D., 81.
/ Louis Mo.
nr. Thomas Adds Emmett of New York.
and Dr. Joseph Price. OF Philadelphia. both
/ Of whom took a very active part III the pro-
ceedlngs Of the Association are natives OF
/ Virginia
Dir. John A. Wythe, the distinguished sur
/ eeon from New Ork city, Is native OF Ala
/ bama.
DIR. William NJ. Potter, of Buffalo, N. Y. is
/ a native of tennessee
/ Dr. Il. O. Marcy. of Boston. who has con-
| tributed extensively 10 the proceedings. IS
/ president Of the American Medical Ass0cia-
! ton.
! Dr. G. +. w. Ross Of Toronto, Canada. is
/ one Of the guests of the Association, and has
made some important contributions TO the
/ proceedings.
The proceedings Of this Association are
! taken down stenOgAphcally and published
in handsome volume every year, composing
"a service of Transactions which are highly
valued by scientific journals both in this
country and Europe.
This Association. known ns the Southern
/ Surgical and genealogical Association, las
been organized for the purpose Of promoting
study and fusion of knowledge II these two
progressive branches Of the healing art IN the
/ Southern States Although q number 81 dis
| tngulshed surgeons and gynecoOgsts from
J the North attend the sessions every year and
contribute 70 the proceedings, the Association
holds lbs meetings altogether within the
/ Southern States. Dr. Hunter Mcclure was
among the founders and IS one OF the most
active supporters Of this organization.
PFusoNAL ntrETIoN.
Among the distinguished members OF the
Association IN attendance at the annual meet
ing who have not yet been mentioned IN the
columns Of Tax TImEs are the following
DR. Charles Alfred Lee Reed. professor of
gynecology and abdominal surgery IN the
/ Cincinnati College Of Medicine AMI Surgery,
surgeon 10 the Cincinnati Free Hospital for
/ Women: Fellow Of the American Association
/ of Obstetricians and GynecolOgsts. Fellow OF
/ the British genealogical Society, eG chair
man af tla gaptfar, f.lqtatrtp. and diseases