Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-01-11
ADVANCE IN SURGERY
HOW IT DIFFERS NOW FROM WHAT IT
WAS FIFTY YEARS AGO.

- t010 IN tne OpefotAOn-ttfBS U00 Of
Ether by DR.. william I. G. Morton.
One Of the most interesting papers
read at the celebration in Boston Of the
fiftieth anniversary Of the first admins
tration Of ether in q surgical operation,
says the Philadelphia Record, was that
by Dr. John Ashhurst Of this city on
"Surgery Before the Days of Anasthet-
ics" It wildly recalls the horrors of
those days when the surgeons knife was
an object of far greater terror than now
and inflicted untold tortures upon the
conscious patient.
"a study Of the condition Of surgery
before the days Of anesthesia, said d.
Ashhurst. reveals ON the one hand
picture Of heroic boldness and mastery
self control on the part of the surgeon,
and on the other a CHASTITY panorama,
sometimes Of stole fortitude and endur.
ance, sometimes of abtect terror and hu-
miliation-but always Of agonizing
wretchedness and pain-on the part Of
the unhappy victim who required the
surgeons aid.
1.-THE 'pitilessness' which Ceicus urged
as an essential trait in the operative sur
geon was, before the days Of anesthesia,
a feature in the surgeons career which
impressed very strongly the public gen.
orally as we'll as those Immediately con-
nected with the operation. 1t is inter-
esting to recall that Sir James Simpson
of Edinburgh, shortly after beginning
his professional studies, vGs so affected
by seeing the terrible agony of a poor
Highland woman under amputation Of
the breast that he resolved to abandon
q medical career and seek other occupa-
ton. Happily his intention was recon-
sidered, sna he returned to his studies,
asking himself, Can anything DO done
to make operations less painful:' and,
as every one knows. in less than go
years lie became a high priest of anes-
thesia and the introducer into surgical
and obstetrical practice Ct ether's great
rival, chlorofor,n.
mo Drawer or moro gallant gentle
man ever lived than Admiral Viscount
Nelson, and after his right elbow had
been shattered by French bullet in the
assault at Tenerifc he manifested the
utmost courage. refusing to be taken to
| the nearest ship lest the sight Of his in
jury should alarm the wife Of q fellow
officer whose own fate was uncertain,
and when his own ship was reached he
| climbed up its side without assistance.
| saying: Tell the surgeon to make haste
and get his instruments. / know must
lose my right arm, SO the sooner it is off
the better. He underwent the amputa-
| ton, we learn from q private letter Of
one Of his midshipmen, with the same
firmness and courage that have always
marked his character And yet so pain
fully was he affected by the GOODNESS Of
the operators knife that when next 60
ing into action at the famous battle OF
tho Nile he gave standing orders to his
surgeons that hot water should always
be kept in readiness during an engage.
ment, SO that if another operation should
be required he might at least have the
poor comfort of being cut with warm
Instruments
ION the side of the surgeon we fin
Throughout the ages q constant effort te
diminish the terrors Of operations aud !;
continuous reprobation of the distress
full, not to say cruel, modes of prac
tice adopted by preceding generations
And yet the time is not very far distant
from ours when they Topped of liml
by striking it violently with q hcav,
knife; that time when they knew mel
Their how to stop nor how to proven
hemorrhage but by burning tho par
whence the blood jetted with boiling OF
| nv I'M hot hot ,t,<,,
geons armed themselves at every mo
ment with pinchers, with burning eau
teries and with instruments the repre-
sentations even of which cause terror.
But the presence of pain was not tn
only evil dreaded by our predecessors il
attempting important operations Tn
great risk of fatal accident from some in
voluntary movement Of the patient wa
constantly present to the mind of tn
conscientious surgeon. How often, say
DR.. Valentine Mott, when operating il
some deep. dark wound, along the cours
Of some great vein, with thin walls al
ternately distended and flaccid with tn
vital current-how often have dreade
that some unfortunate struggle of tn
patient would deviate the knife littI
from its proper course and that !, WI
fain would be the deliverer, should il
voluntarily become the executioner, see
ing my patient perish in my hands b
the most appalling form Of death! Ia
he been insensible should have felt n
alarm
Coming down to the days more in
mediately preceding the date Of tn
great discovery, we find that opium an
alcohol were the only agents which CO,
tinued to be regarded as of practic,
value in diminishing the pain Of oper:
tions, though the attendant disadval
tages Of their employment were Of cour
recognized. Meanwhile facts were acc,
mulating the significance Of which "
now plainly recognize, but which e,
cited no attention.
''Sir Humphrey Davy, in the earl
!" days Of the nineteenth century, sugges
|, ed the use Of nitrous oxide gas as a
, anasthetic in minor operations. and
!, was the custom at some Of our medic,
|: schools-at the University of Pennsy
vania, for one-for students to b.eatt