Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-10-15
HOW IL HAS GROWN
DR.. G. K. Johnson's Resume
Of the Growth
OF MODERN RAILWAY SURGERY
Read at the FIRST Semi Annual Meeting
Of the Michigan Railway Sur
geon.s Association


the Michigan association of railway
surgeons Was held n the Morton house
yesterday afternoon. DR.. e.. h. john
son OF tnls city. president Of the as
soc.atlon, called the meeting 10 order.
and DR.. Z. W. CARRIER of Muskegon
acted as secretary. Those present were
William III. Meyers OF Fort Wayne,
Charles +. Morgan OF GTeenville,
George ;. Rsnney OF Lansing. George
5. Williams OF MusSegon, IL. I. Cal
klns or Petoskey, c. ;. Ford OF Cedar
Springs, f. C. Taylor of Kalamazoo.
Frank ". CARRIER OF Muskegoa. Alex
ander j. Mullen of Michigan City. Ind. /;
j. +. Gilbert OF kendalyille, Ind; III.
T.. Cowes OF Durand, o. L. Yates of
Holland, X. Cieland Fair of Dursnd, +.
n. Bonnie of Niles, +. j. Pendsll of
Marshall, K. 4. Lawrence of Hartford,
q. h. johnson, J. b. Griswold, ). Il.
Wooster, X. c. Dundass. Schuyler ).
Graves, I'll. Luplnskl ami ID. Emmett
WEIGH OF Grand Rapids.
DIR. Johnson's Address.
DIR. G.. K. Johnson of this city de-
llvered his annual address as follows:
No railway Service can be- entirely
free from accident. No human skill
or care can wholly relieve It from this
liability. There are many factors In
the problem of safety, failure or fau t
in any one of which may entail dis
aste- and bring mIshap 10 life or limb.
So II happens that after skill and fore
sight have done their best, some risk
still remains. Trains may collide or
| leave the rail, an engine may run
| down an unwary track walker, tramp
| or a sot may make the roadbed his last
| couch, n swItchman's head or body or
| limb may be bruised or torn or crushed,
and mechanic, dealing with complex
and pltiless machinery, may meet
with serious injury.
These hazards, fortunately not very
frequent, are the price which this lm-
| petuous age pays for the incalculable
advantages of the railway service; for
the rapid and regular transit of per-
sons and of goods; for the stimulus it
imparts TO material progress aud for
the strength It gives to states.
Accidents viii Happen.
But the public justly demands that
| these risks shall be reduced to the
| minimum. and that only those that are
| inherent and unavoidable shall remain.
| Companies recognize this obligation
| and make 1t their constant aim to give
all possible security to every
| branch Of their service. Never
| theless casualties come and they
will ever continue to come. On this
| fact rests the necessity for q railway
| surgical service. Provision must be
made for accidents which, soon or late
are sure to happen. The injured must
not be left to chance care, or none At
all: life and limb must be saved when
possble; suffering must be relieved,
| and the period or disability made as
brief as possible. Besides all this. COM
| panies need 10 know the nature, ex'
tent and result of these casualties-in-
+, formation to be gained only through
their own medical officers.
10 earlier years, when railway adj
mlnistration was primitive and crude
a surgical service did not exist. nc
advance provision was made for acct
dents and Injuries. Roads had no sur
geons and no surgical preparation. So
when accidents happened everything
was confusion. No one knew what tC
do; no one had any authority. Almost
as many different things were done, or
! proposed. as there were persons pres
ent. But nothing was done svstemat
lCs!ly or with intelligent aim. So the
injured Jared i'll and the interests OF
the lines were not conserved.
The First Advancement.
At q later day step IN advance wa,
taken. Local surgeons were named n
important points on the lines, and were
summoned when accidents occurred
But their duties, authority and dis
erection were not defined. Their,
was no organization, or reg
uIation, or system. Each surgeon
stood alone and acted for thu
occasion only. He was named by tn,
superintendent. but made no reguia
reports to him. so that there were M
surgical or reliable histories of cssuali
ties. The superintendent who directed
these matters, SO far as there was any
direction. often felt himself charged
with unfamiliar duties, and howeve
able and vigilant ne might be, was al
ways at loss when disaster came up
on his line. He was an executive,
man OF business; not surgeon, or a Il
supervisor of surgeons. But this plaI
was much better than the entire ap
sence of plan or system which preceded
It. 1t was however, faulty and unsatIs
factory; and, under the law Of progress
which operates here as elsewhere, wa
destined. soon or late, to give place t
still better methods.
The legal affairs OF companies wsr
left TO lawyers; the civil engineering {
men trained and tutored for that duty
| the mechanical dapartu,auf uas n sre.
| ~ charge of an experienced and exper
mechanic. IL would seem that, 70
reasons quite a. clear and cogent, tn
surgical service of railways should al
along have been contided to a recog
uIzed and regulated department, unde
professional supervision.
The ORGANIZED Corps
But until recent years that was no
the case. The managers of lines wer
40 engrOssed with pressing busiue.
! cares. with plans - create or seize nev
traffic. and with efforts. vigorous bu
often futile, 20 pay interest and max
! dividends. thatthe matterO 81 the surg ca
service did not fra long time gam tnei
mature consideration. Bat fsy
years ago improved methods began &
"a adopted. The western roads. Tree
from the stereOtyped methods of to-
east, were the first to lesd oil in
fetter vay. They organized and cen
: trsized their surglcal service and mad
/ e FegulAfes zad responsible depari
meaE They placed it under the super
lvisaan OF n professional y a.. The
sathoris ed division and local surgeon
At All necessary points. ard 90 the corn
| thus created theg give Sufficient func