The Detroit times., 1910-11-24


while. the grand old profession is at
heart self-sacrihcing and noble.
II have scei. hundreds OF operations
which were not necessary, and I will
venture TO say that no Detroit physl-
clan will deny that thousands of oper-
atoms performed In Detroit are un-
necessary"
DIR. Cruickhank deplores the surei-
cal excuses TO which the profession
has gone In regard 10 appendicitis, for
one thing. IL addition TO declaring
that 10 per cent of the operations for
the disease are not necessary, the
doctor proudly points TO the fact that
no patient II his rs ever unnecessarily
operated on for the ailment. He be-
lieves I'm medical treatment for the
cure of the disease.
mo patient suffering from append
citis should be operated on until II is
seen that IN operation is absolutely
necessary said the doctor. Most
cases can be cured by proper diet and
the administration of medicines and
hot or cold applications to the affect
ed portion OF the body. Not one OF
my patients Is among those operated
on In Detroit, I am glad to say. The
appendix is in the body for a purpose.
and Is not a useless appendage, as
claimed by some operators.
DR.. Cruickshank, dealing with the
subject OF appendicitis In the course
OF a paper on Operation excuses
before the Lambton County Medical
society, said the part:
II Is my purpose to comment
upon the abuses that have arisen
from appendectomy and other
great surgical procedures. Asep-
tic operators could open the abdo-
men with such safety that In
few years in every hospital on
this continent amputations OF the
appendix became as common as
stomachaches. and perhaps more
numerous on account OF the cur
rent belief that this organ was no
use whatever, but a positive detri-
ment to its possessor.
We are rapidly approaching the
time in the history Of this disease
when the great majority Of cases
will be treated by physicians and
the operative cases will be attend
ed to before pus forms, but In the
meantime the public has suffered
much physically and financially.
The most capable surgeons have
subjected patients to needless
muilation and the incompetent
have sacrificed many hundreds of
lives.
Speaking on the practice Of remov-
| ing tonsils, DR.. Cruickshank said
THE fad just now is to remove ton
slls. They should not be removed at
! all. Tonsils are necessary in the
| throat. otherwise they would not be
there They stand in the throat like
two sentinels, ready to take care OF
! any germs which may gather there.
/ Some doctors remove them because
/ they get enlarged but | don't think
that is any reasonable excuse. II
they become enlarged, 1t. must be for
some purpose, probably so they can
take care of more than an ordinary
amount of germs in the throat.
would remove tonsil only in case Of
its being diseased.
But, happily, customs are chang
ing. While operative excuses are
the rule just now, ten years from now
I the operators Of today will be looked
on as barbarians. There will be but
little unnecessary operating in the
future"
DR.. Cruickshank does not like to
associate the surgeon" with the
operator" The latter. according TO
| DR.. Cruickshank, Is the man who goes
TO excuses In operating, while the
surgeon is the one who operates only
when he feels il Is absolutely neces-
sary. In his paper on Operative ex-
cesses'' Dr. Cruickshank said on this
| point:
Our profession is wisely heap
ing honors upon the surgeon and,
we must distinguish between the
operator and the surgeon. The
ability to resect the stomach safe
~ in Is minutes or to remove the
! Gasserian ganglion and have the
patient live does not stamp a man
as a surgeon. This expert work
must promote the comfort and
prolong the life OF the patient.
revision of the present system OF
medical and surgical charges Is also
advocated by DR.. Cruicl:shank, believ-
| ing that different method would be
advantageous TO the patient. The doc
| tor would stop charging by the visit
and assess the patient according to
the responsibility involved in the case.
DR.. Cruickshank, in commenting on
the ethics OF the medical profession.
said that while he was not in SYM
patty himself with newspaper adver-
| Using. he would not try TO prevent any
other doctor from advertising honest
| ly in the newspapers. In fact. he said