The morning call., 1892-08-21

They bound him fast to a shutter.
such help as students can always give each
other as were similarly qualified young
men.
| remember distinctly an indignation
meeting that was held by US women over
the conduct of the only professor IN the
college who was ayowedly opposed 10
women students. We were there against
his vote and judgment. and he never let US
forget II, On one occasion when he had
been more than usually insulting we held
this meeting and decided TO cut his lee
lures, and prepare by reading for examina-
ton IN this bTanch-a very important one.
Our decision coming TO the ears Of the
young men of the senior class. one Of their
number waited upon the women seniors to
represent the men students. I'VE hope,
ladies" was the message he brought. that
you Will not allow yourselves to be driven
from Dr.. IS lectures by anything he may
say You NAV be sure his characteristic re-
marks are as painful to many of the young
men as they can be to you" Thus adjured,
we rec0nsidered cur decision and took all
the lectures.
Medical students are proverbially hard
lot and our fellOw-students were no excep-
ton TO the rule. Their presence in the
found 1t hard to get coed boarding
places even. Why they should be is
hard to tell. Individually nearly every
one. Of the boys was gentleman. Col
They collected ar the TOP of the amphi-
theater at the end of every lecture TO
smoke until the air Of the place could have
been cut with a knife. Yet not one of them
would have thought OF coming to speak to
one OF the girls without bTst throwing AWAY
his cigarette. If one of their number was
sick or IN trouble every man of them was a
tender, sympathetic friend, yet | recall how
the whole congregation once took one of the
most popular men in the college, a strict
OF \ IA. r.
carried him, helpless, to a neighbOring beer
garden, where they poured beer sd libitum
down his throat. Taking him on their
shoulders they marched down the principal
street OF the city until, meeting one Of their
3aY0rlte professors, they turned and still
bearing their victim aloft escorted the doc
tor back to the college. They carried the
student around into narrow unfreonented
street back Of the college building and,
lashed to the shutter as he was stood him
mp against dead-wall and went into the
building TO lecture. Their victim remained
In durance until rescued By policeman,
who vainly sought TO learn from him the
identity of his tormentors. Thus they
treated one of their prime favOrites, but
when one OF the most unpopular men in the
college lay sick for three long weeks every
member If the class Wed with his fellows
in caring for the sick one
All students seem to be more or less wild.
Il those in the medical fraternity are worse
than others. and l fear they are, | am in
= cllned to think 1t may be because of GER
tain inevitable reaction from the nervous
strain under which they work II is a trait
OF human nature to harden itself against
what IL cannot avoid yet the endurance of
which involves rapid expenditure of ner-
vous force. There is much of this sort of
experience to be encountered in the course
OF a three years medical training.
remember we'll one afternoon that the
whole 200 OF US were summoned from col
lege 10 one Of the large hospitals TO witness
an important oreration. We fled into the
big operating-rOom and took our seats. the
operator charging Us to maintain absolute
silence during the operation. Doors were
locked, that no late-cOmer should disturb
the quiet, and the patient. a four-year-old
boy. was brought in. he was suffering
from a swelling in the throat (it is not
necessary to be technieaD. the pressure Of
which upon the wlndpipe would, the doctor
explained, produce death within IS hours il
the tumor were not removed. At the same
time. It's nature was such that there was
about one chance IN 10 that the operation
would prove successful. The little
patient was suffering terribly. His
besides the surgeons voice heard in the
great room. The giving of ether was a
delicate undertaking in such a case. 1t
was administered with great care by a
skilled practitioner, and cautiously, but
swiftly, the surgeon began operating Out
side the door waited the child's parents. the
doctor not daring to permit their presence.
How we hung on every movement OF the
operators knife. How we listened to the
boarse, horrible breathing that filed every
corner Of the aTnphitheater. 1t intensified
rather than relieved the almost tangible
silence that otherwise prevailed. The pro-
verbal pin, II dropped just then, would
have made racket. Suddenly, and with
ont warning, the awful gasping ceased and
an assistant, who stood with finger on the
chlld's wrist, broke the silence with His
pulse has stopped" Death was already
there, but not an instant hestated the sur
geon. de seized sthe patient in his arms
and lowered tie helpless little head An
orderly FASTENED to administer bypodermfc
injections of brandy and artificial rpspira-
tioD was set up With a struggling pasp
the rasDtng respiratiOns began again life
returned TO the frsil tenement and resumed
business at the old stand. There were
few more rapid motions with the knife.
and, the pressure on the trachea being
relieved, the breathing at once became
normal and easy; the pallid students
sank back into their seats, aud the doctor
began 10 talk as he sewed I'D the incision
and established drainage Not all the stu
dents heard him, however. 1 do not know
how many Of those men had tainted, but
several of those who had then TO be revived
by their fellows were among the ringlead-
ers that night in an entirely unprecedented
escapsde that brought a sharp complaint
from the city authorities TO the faculty, and
nearly occasiOned the suspension Of the Of
tenders. Action and reaction are equal,
and it was simply inevitable that such a
strain should cause a downbreak or an out
break somewhere. One unusually frank
young fellow confessed to me that he had
more than once worked off steam" after
such an experience by fit OF crying.
A woman physician, who studied her art
at woman's college, once told me how she
tainted on the occasion OF her first entrance
to the dissecting- room. The demonstrators
of anatomy was a woman Take her away
from here" she exclaimed, in disgust at the
weak nerves Of the new student. Don't
let her stay here 10 disgrace the college"
With all due respect TO that lady demon
strator's learning and good judgment. j
must submit IL as my opinion that on that
occasion she strained very hard over an ex-
ceedingly small gnat. / have seen many
strong man and cool woman leave the dis
sectng-tabie and stagger toward u window.