The morning call., 1892-08-28

tried that IN England at least they have
been rendered well-nigh impossible, sc that
In this enlightened decade, did Thiersch
live in England. he would have to take out
license to kill his Sc mice in The interests
OF humanity, although any hOuSemaid
would be permitted to poison them with
rough OG-rats and leave them TO die in tor
ture unspeakable.
A similar illustration is of more modern
date. 1t is estimated that in India 20, 600
persons die annually from snake bites, but
as yet no antdote has been discovered to
the poison of the cobra. Rev. r. NJ Luther
OF Philadelphla, when q missionary in Bur-
nah, conducted series Of experiments on
dogs, that led 10 the discovery of an anti
dote to the bite of the brown viper, a reptile
but little less yenomous than the cobra,
which antidOte has sinca proved most serv-
iceabe in saving life. Yet some time since,
in England, when DR.. L. Lander Brunton,
one OF the leading scientists of the age,
attempted similar series of investigations
to ind an antldOte To the cobra venom, be
was stopped by the strict anti-viyisection
laws there in force.
Sir James Simpson, to whom the profess
sion is indebted for the great blessing of
chlOroform, was most enthusiastic expert
menter in search of anestheties. On one
occasion he visited the laboratory of Sir
Lyon Playfajr TO see il the great chemist
had any new substances likely to serve his
purpose. II showed him." says Playfair,
"a liquid THAT had Just been discovered by
my assistants, and Sir James. who was bold
almost TO raShness in experimenting upon
himself, desired at once 10 inhale it in my
inner room. l refused TO give him any of
the liquid until it first had been tried on
rabbits Two rabbits were first made to
inhale it. They as quickly passed into
anesthesia and. apparently. as quickly re-
covered, but from an afteT-effect of the
poison they both died few hours later"
Justtiable as this experiment seems, un-
der the circumstances, were two scientists
to try it in England to-day they would be
treated rs criminals under the present act.
How greatly this age is indebted to Simp-
sons discovery may be imagined by con-
trestng the early days of abdominal opera
ti0ns, for instance, with those OF modern
times. Fancy the practices that prevailed
before the days OF anesthetlcS A woman
was strapped to the operating table, or held
by half dozen strong men, while her
writhing flesh was cut the abdomen opened
and diseased viscera explored for and
operated upon By surgeon confused by the
patients cries OF pain and anxious to have
over the agonizlng spectacle. Think OF the
dangers from accident through the patients
struggles, from shock and pain, from blood
poisoning and from hemorrhage-that dread
OF the old-time surgeon-and il will be easy
TO understand the large proportion of fatal
results that led TO the belief that abdominal
operations were the most dangerous of all
classes of surgical work.
What different picture is presented bv
bloodless operation to-day from that Of
an amputation a few years ago, when blood
less operations had not been shown to be
possible by experiments upon animals Ii
was supposed that certain death would re-
suit to any living tissue deprived for time
of It's blood supply. Then eaustics were
the oniyi arrestors of hemOrrhage. The
surgeons assistant was loaded down with
appliances and instruments, buttons of Wit
rlol, eaustic remedies, steel congresses,
boiling oil. hot irons, and, by no means to
be omitted, a eapacious basin TO catch the
blood that even these could not suppress
Broad ligatuTes of cloth were loosely tied
and left hanging from wounds for weeks,
months, even, III some cases, years, aud
often, through Ignorance If the operator.
a nerve was caught In with the ligated
artery. causing exquisite agony and convul-
siOns until death came 10 the sufferers re-
lief.
To-day, thanks to those experimenters who
have given us ether, chloroform and the
other aneSthetlcs, the patient is to begin
with rendered unconscious. The surgeon
knows that his antiseptic precautions re-
duce the chances OF blood poisoning to a
minimum. He has learned by many ex-
perlments on living animals that his catgut
ligatures viii be absorbed through the lac
ieais, the very existence OF which were