The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-01-11
COINAGE IN SURGERY.
Why Experienced Practitioners Are CooI
While Performing Opernt ions.

Why Experienced Practitioners are Cool
While Performing Operations.
An old surgeon. engaged for the
moment in disseCting cold roast
quail, and making it must bc con.
fessed, only an Indifferent job Of it,
had been listening incidentally to
the conversation of his table com.
panions. who were discussing the
calmness and nerve displayed by the
average practitioner during surgical
operations. Both agreed that the
poi>e and GOODNESS shown by surgeons
at such times were extraordinary ana
hard to understand.
'tNow. friends ii you will permit
me-" interrupted the surgeon at this
point. II would like to tell you that
there is nothing extraordinary about
it. The nerve rs you call it, Of the
surgeon under such circumstances is
the most natural thing in the world.
1t is not display OF calmness which
has been put on for the occasion, or
an exhibition IF courage summoned
up for an unusual emergency, hut
simply the normal demeanOr Of a
practical, matter Of fact man who
knows what he has to do and how he
is going to do it,
THE trouble with many people
who marve! at what they call sur
geOn'S courage is that they fail ut
terly to comprehend the conditions
under which he performs his work.
They imagine that he is experiment.
ing. or that he doesn't know his
ground, or that he will cut some
thing that he ought not to cut.
Nothing could be further from the
facts. No movement in science or
mechanics is pre- ceded by a more &C
curate toreknowledge of its results
than tn 4 erage operation in >urg-
cry. There is no such thing as guess
work about it. The operator knows
he is performing an opc. alton which
is based upon an exact science. He
follows rules which apply to all eases,
ana is secure in the confidence that
causes which have produced certain
effects in given Instances will do SO
in all Others.
''Why. then, should there be any
| need in his work for ext! aordinary
| courage? There are cases, OF course,
SO critical or so unusual in character
as TO excite even the calmest AID
most self-contained operator, and
when these are under treatment the
! surgeons powers of self-cOntrol are
frequently taxed to their utmost
limit. TO the man who, in such a
| case, can WELD the knife without q
| visible tremor when life itself de-
| ponds upon the accuracy and delicacy
| Of his touch, we must award the
! praise due to real heroes. But in the
average case, say of amputation or OF
skull fracture involving Grain al opera
| tiOns. the surgeon neither needs nor
| possesses more than the courage of
| an intelligent. sincere man who
! knows his duty and has learned how
! to perform it. His technical knOwl-
| edge of anatomy and his methodical
habit Of work accustOm him to con-
| ditionS which alarm and excite non.
| professional minds, aud he goes about
| his task with certain quiet, vigOr-
ous asSertive confidence in the result
of his movements viii n the observer
| is quite likely to mistake for mar
yellous courage summoned up for that
particular occasion. 1t is courage Of
a certain sort, confess-the courage
of absolute confidence in the infalli-
billty Of the science he represents"