Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-14
MAGIC Of SURGERY

given the world definite information
regarding the marvellous, we might
almost say magical, methods by which
the camps were protected from epidemics
and the general health of the vast armies
afield maintained. He has supplied us
with trustworthy figures, proving the
efficacy of modern aseptic treatment.
War is much more humane to-day than
it was forty years ago, when the people
of the North and South were killing one
another Here also improved surgery has
much to do with the high ratio of re-
coveries from modern gunshot injuries
The Mauser and other weapons of high
velocity and long range use missiles of
small caliber that wound rather than
kill. They are as effective as the old
Mimic ball that flared out when discharged
and left large and ragged wound of exit,
because they render the man hors dc
combat and make him an object of CHAIR
table attention for his more fortunate
comrades
Although abdominal surgery is of
American origin--because Ephraim Nc
Dowell of Kentucky first successfully
performed 1.-THE japanese carried its
most successful practice into their great
army hospitals at Sasebo and elsewhere
in treating gunshot wounds with all the
more recent improvements in operative
procedure. The next step in the direction
of progressive humanitarianism in war
may possibly be that of making the hither-
to deadly missiles absolutely sterile and
incapable in themselves of producing
wound infection.
4 g.
1t is a tick1ish subject to discuss, in view
of the opposition felt to its employment
for scientific research; but the human
race has been benefited almost beyond
the power of description by the in
vestigations that its use has made
possible.
There is no argument whatever in the
charge that vivisection is cruel. The
trend of the profession has always been
to perform all such operations without
causing pain to the animals. The birds
of the air and the creatures of the woods
or fields always have been the prey of the
human species. Life might be sustained
by the products of agriculture: theoreti-
cally, the eating of flesh, fish or fowl is
not imperative. Yet the life of a vege-
tartan hasn't much to commend it to a
practical mind. If animals must die to
sustain life, what possible objection can
there be to their proper sacrifice in the
interests of nobler purpose than the
filling of our stomachs? Even vacci-
nation has been condemned by some on
the absurd presumption that the inocu-
1ation of the COW causes her much torture;
but the almost universal acceptance
of vaccination has been followed by the
practical disappearance of one of the
most terrible scourges, one that ravaged
this earth for thousands of years. The
circulation of the blood was discovered
during an operation upon an animal.
Countless like instances might be cited,
but the main objection to vivisection
as now practised is conferred in the lack
of appreciation of its real and abiding
benefits. What, for instance, would we
have known of the wonderful efficacy of
diphtheria antitoXin, save by animal
experimentation?
Above all things, medicine is humane
profession. 1t is absurd to assert or
assume that cruelty can have any part
in tho cocri6ca of for ba