New-York tribune., 1909-01-17
The Surgeons Bette Noir

~ velous vitality; every hospital has its long list
of them. Much more rare are the cases where death
has resulted from what would ordinarily be regarded
as a minor injury, and where a careful POST W0rt'H
examination has failed TO reveal anything that
would warrant feeble hold on the vital spark
This condition is most often due to what IS known
in surgery as shock" word less descriptive OF
cause than effect The fatal result OF surgical shock
IS one OF those disastrous conditions that some
times strikes down like a thunderbolt from clear
sky OVcrWhelm with grlet and dISmdy the family
of the victim and bring upon the surgeon an undc-
served dscredit. 1t IS the catastrophe that has
resulted in that grim Wlttlclsn, he operation was
suCCessful-but the patient died.
This condition of shock that results IN apparently
unwarrantabe death is not confined to operations.
1t must be remembered that 1t IS likely to follow
any minor injury TO person whose NitaIty IS not
up to the normal. " lille vitality has 4 vide range
Of difference in different Individuals 1t undoubtedly
fuCtuates at different periods the lite OF the
Individual Healthy babies are born with a lot Of
life in them and almost everybody has sometime
been surprised at the tenaclty OF lie displayed by
young infants whom one naturally regards, on ac-
count OF their dlmnutIve size and short residence
III the material world, as extremely fragile little
creatures Nature, apparently understanding the
Ordeals through which very young children must
pass before becoming adapted to the foreign sur
-ounding5 Of a strange world, has stored them tull
u life which to draw during their early encoun-
ters with such enemies as improper food, hostile
germs, inequalities OF temperature, and the like.
When the child is about half grown much lower
degree of vitality is reached, which endures for 4
good MANY years, until maturity permits the Organ
zation TO rest and renew its NlgOr.
| recall the case OF little girl OF about twelve
years who had always been fairly healthy child
and III the habit of running and romplng with the
Youngsters of her acquaintance. One summer day,
while rowing about mill pond with two OF her
friends she fell overheard; but was hauled out be
fore she had time to Inhae enough water to become
unconscious In a few minutes, however, she
lapsed into a state of semComa and died. No
adequate organic arrangement found that
would account for the catastrophe, and sudden
functional failure of the heart to respond to It's duty
in so slight emergency IS, after all SCIENTIFIC eX
PLANTATION IS offered, nothing but lack OF that
vitality with which we are normally endowed TO
combat the inequalities of existence.
Last wear there reported IN the papers
Of d woman who dropped dead at a clap of thunder
coming unexpectedly, although the bolt did not
strike enough to give her any electric shock.
An Accommodating Rabbit
THIS susceptibility to death from a sudden dis
turbing cause is not confined to human beings
but is even to be found among the lower animals
Once while out hunting | flushed a rabbit in some
thick bushes where it was necessary shoot quickly
| fred when the rabbit was about thirty feet dis
tant, and it promptly rolled over stone dead. When
l came to pick 1t up however, there was nOta mark
upon 1t; and afterward | skinned it with great care
but unable to find single shot mark and came
to the conclusion that it had simply died of shock
1t does not possible that the conclusion OF the
shotgun could have killed the animal at that dis
tance, especially did not fall within the zone OF
FIRE | have missed a good many other rabbits at
close range, but never knew another one TO drop
dead. Far from it.
During an army service in the Philippines l was