Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-18
IN FALL COhVOCAT|ON
Exercises Held by George
Washington University.
ADDRESS BY DR.. CARL BECK
Influence Of American Medicine and
Surgery on Europe"
STUDENTS RECEIVE DEGREES
List Of Debaters Who Won Medals
The Prizes Awarded-Music
Feature.

Feature.
TT Is the American mother that has made
American surgery what it is" declared
Prof. Carl Beck. MD. professor Of surgery
in the New York Post Graduate Medical
School. In speaking at the fall convocation
Of the George Washington University yes
terday afternoon at o'clock. in Memorial
Continental Hall. His address, which was
on the subject Of 1.-THE Influence Of Ameri-
can Medicine and Surgery on Europe" held
the attention Of the audience for over an
hour.
This convocation was the initial one Of
series which will be a part Of the university
program every year. Its purpose, as out
lined by President Charles w. Needham Of
the university. Is to provide for the general
assembling Of all the students Of the uni
versity, both new and old. at the beginning
Of the school year, to excite interest in the
activities Sf the institution and to provide
inspiration for the work Of the year.
The attendance at this first convocation
weather. The exercises Of the afternoon
were begun when the members of the
faculty, students upon whom the degrees
were TO pc, be On and members Of the
the hall, with President Needham and DR..
Beck in the lead Following an invocation
by Rev. M. Ross Fishburn. pastor Of the
Mount Pleasant Congregational Church, and
a selection by the orchestra, the speaker of
the afternoon, DR.. Carl Beck. was intro
duced.
DR.. Beck's Address.
In opening his address DR.. Beck stated
that for an appreciation Of what American
surgery has achieved, 1t was opportune to
review the progress from ancient times. He
began with the earliest surgical records in
Egypt, where a treatise on tumors written
1862 B. c., has been discovered. He traced
its progress through the fourishing times of
Greece and Rome to the more modern
periods Of surgery in Germany, France and
England; to the discovery of the patholog-
ical theories, the Roentgen rays, etc. This
brought him to consider American surgery,
which he introduced as follows:
THE are of surgery could be practiced only
under the greatest technical difficulties on
account Of the pain the patient had to en-
ton that ever before q surgical operation
was performed when the patient did not
suffer the horrid agonfes of combined phys
ical and psychical pain, until 1t was reserv-
ed to the United States of America to give
the world that immense blessing, anesthe-
STA. The discovery Of ether in 1916 as
safe means for making a patient senseless
without any danger to his life brought
more progress in few years than thirty
centuries had brought before Operations
can be performed now the possibilities Of
which our ancestors could hardly dream.
1.-THE name of the discoverer, DR.. W. T.
Morton Of Boston, should be household
word throughout the entire civilized world.
But, alas, there is hardly one non-medico
greatest benefactor Of suffering humanity.
Nothing illustrates the popularity Of hui
man nature more clearly than the deplor-
able fact that the public at large ignores
or,Nt DI,11f foH
with the statues Of generals. whose victories
were sometimes won in spite Of rather than
because Of their abilities. or simply by the
bravery Of their subordinates. The truly
great hero, who has sacrificed himself to
find the means Of preserving lives instead
Of destroying them, is forgotten. while the
least thing gratitude could do for him would
be to erect a monument in every village of
the EARTH
ITO those Of our European confreres who
are still endeavoring to belittle American
lea had contributed nothing else than anes-
thesia to surgery, 1t would have done well
enough"
Institutes Comparison.
Taking up then a comparison between
German apd American medical education,
he stated that, while the American has been
developed in a short time, it Is to the credit
of the Americans that they saw the defects.
While the American medical course Is only
four years and that in Germany Is five, he
stated that the American students attended
strictly to work, while the German students
devote some time to libations and duels.
The motto of the American surgeon ts
utility, he declared and while Germany
will probably hold its leading position in
the theoretical branches Of the profession,
the United States will become authoritative
In practice.
Mr.. Beck then took up the subject Of anti
septics and spoke highly Of the influence Of
Americans In surgery. The Americans are
acknowledged, he said, to be the cleanest
Of races; and this characteristic, he de-
clared has made itself felt in other coun-
tries, Indirectly. This Is noticeable in the
immigrants from lands where the annual
bath Is regarded as a useless extravaganza
and who bring all kinds Of infection with
them. By the example of their new fellow
citizens, in the second generation, they
develop a keen sense Of cleanliness.
1.-THE youngster always reflects the mother
more or less" he continued .'If he Is clean,
there Is little doubt that his mother took
hair, his finger nails, the sole Of his foot,
his mouth and his clothing. It Is the
American mother that has made american
surgery what it is.
Benefactors Enumerated.
There are other sun rays. too. he said
The works of Mcdowell, who performed the
first laparotomy; Valentine Mott who as
tonished the world in irtiria innominata,
and others. Warren and Parker did much
toward the development of modern surgery,
and, furthermore. American genius lifted