The San Francisco call., 1906-10-28
By Agnes Foster Buchaaap

streals OF gold and red IN the fSr east
tell OF the approach Or new day. It is
tie morn or promise. but ere the sun
DIP IN tho Western waters II win have
reached the full noon OF fuiGliment
Would sou kno@ whence come these
wonders? Would 1ou see fpr your
selves. YOU to whcln the fal-lrs OF India
are faIzirs aad nothing Flore-you to
whom the vision Of the little shepherd
ess Of Lourdes is but the fgment OF
ckild's overwrougat irl2gination?
CO. taen. if you Will into any large
city. follow its devious paths and high
Tvays-.nquire. Il need be. 1or its best
end most up-to-6ate hospital If you
would be q, witness in f2ct to miracles
"a the modern sccsc here IS your op-
portunits. l7or Horc daily nay. almost
hourly. ti-e lame are made 10 walk, the
deaf TO lear. The vl;nd actually TO see.
And the g.e2tost wonder Of it ali is
that noting IS regarded rs wonderful
Failures cnly arc, remarkable. Think
rot TO find here aught in common with
The esoterie initiates of the East nor
with the witch doctors of Africa and
Borneo. Nor on tic othnr. hand does
The High Priest OF the Temple of Heal
Ing 20 Tor his learning 10 the AIedI-
cine Man Of TIE Western plains. among
whose tribes the Nocd medicine itself
indicates music. supernatural knowl-
edge and thc use. of, amulet and charms.
With these simple folk all illness is
caused BY evil spirits. and is only ex-
orcised by ale use OF magic.
But the modern miracle worker casts
no potent spells by his art, he con-
cocts 70 potions fer good or evil, he
sees no visions but Inc ultimate sue
cess OF his work. lie hears no voice
but that OF appealing humanity.
There is no suggestion OF the poqtic,
Tie mystic, about this modern Ngor.der
worker. his instruments are neither
incantaticns nor prayers. They are
bright. sharp edged scissors, knives and
forceps. lis incense lacks the pungent
odors OF TIE Chinese sacrifice TO the
Cod OF Health. but breathes rather of
the cleansing atmosphere Of lysol, iodo-
fern and ether.
On the subject o.. cleanliness this man
SIS q crank Not the ordinary clean
Illness. the exact standing Of which is
placed next in Importance TO egpdliness
itself. but 10 him all iseunclesn- save
that what has gone through the puri-
1ying fires OF the sterilizer.
Where the dress OF the Eastern IA
kris attracts one by its Sorgeousness OF
color, its richness Of tone, that OF this
modern high priest attracts only in Its
inartistic conception. long white
coarse linen apron covers him from
Il f0 .Gf1 10 80
The Eastern turban, fascinating in its
multitudinous folds, gives place to
simple white one drawn skin tight
around the head. You have before you
in all his personal unattractiveness, in
all his professional skill and worth. a.
performer of modern miraclcs-the
surgeon.
Time was, and it is easily within the
memory Of most Of US. when the very
suggestion Of q surgeon or his knife
brought a cold dread upon all concern
ed and TO be actually taken to a hospi-
tai was regarded as the last step in the
patients career and a signal for his
weeping relatives to order their mourn
ing and 10 think up all the good things
70 be said IN his eulogy.
Anesthetics and Antiseptics.
But with the last twenty years .
great regeneration has been waged-a
the name OF the new king is Surgery.
His ministers Of war are Antiseptics
and Anesthetics. For years after his
accession this king ruled with the dog
matism Of absolute monarch. Every
case was within his realm-eVerybody
with whatsoever siiment, from a sore
Gnger TO a sluggish liver, must submit
10 his wllim and fancy But he has
since outgrown the zeal OF the auto
crat, lie has taken TO wife a fair
young woman and her name is Reason.
The children Of this union are men
like Kelly OF Baltimore, Sem of Chi
caEo, Park OF Buffalo, Richardson OF
Boston and other leaders. and their
dictum has gone forth, Operate only
where you are certsin-cut out the dis
ease. not the organ"
That surgery saas reached its present
state Of advancement must be ascribed
directly TO the discovery Of the two
great medical devices just mentioned.
aneSthetics and antiseptics. The first
has. Of course, materially swidened the
Geld OF operative cases through the
great boon Of insensibiltyIto- pain. The
second, applied TO surgery for the first
time IN the early seventies by Sir Jo-
seph Lister. is perhaps the greatest ma
terial gift bestowed upon mankind dur
ing the last century.
Before the use OF antiseptics as we
now understand them, the mortality
was enormous IN all surgical cases,
even IN the simplest amputation of an
arm or q leg. Entering the abdominal
cavity was as greatly TO be feared as
visitation Of yellow jack and to be
Stunned with as much zeal as the
Plsgue-
IN these days Of advance and inves-
tigation there is literally no part OF
the human body too sacred. too COM
plex or too delicate for the skillful
surgeon 70 enter. The abdominal cav
3ty Is now explored with ease and Sc
curity. The exact location Of each and
every organ has been figured with
mathematical precision. Stomachs are
removed, washed IN a sterilized bath,
Put back into place again and the pa
tient in a few weeks is none the worse
Tor his internal cleaning. And some
freaks there are roaming around minus
the food basket altogether. Naturally
enough this bids fair never TO catch
the popular fancy as appendicitis has,
Tor who wouldn't rather have some
kind OF a stomach, even though it
be poor and weak and only half per-
forms the function tfnposed .1nou ff3