Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-12
PREVENTIVE SURGERY.
by the Medical Society
Of the District Of Columbia.

/ The old adage, "A stitch in time saves
nine" is to nothing more applicable than
| to modern surgery. To get the best re-
/ suits, the public must learn to take
] time by the forelock'' in surgical mat
/ tiers. and thus prevent many tragic ills to
which the human flesh is heir.
! Much space is being devoted by the
press today in calling attention to hy
giene. sanitation and other health meas
ures. AS result of this publicity, every
ACREAGE man knows of the Importance of
| good drinking water. a proper milk sup
| ply. adequate plumbing, quarantine meas
ures and vaccination. All of these things
are designed to aid in the prevention OF
disease, to prolong life and add to the
| comfort and happiness Of man. While
| the necessity for these things is so we'll
| known and so generally recognized, 1t is
| not so we'll known that by proper surgical
measures at the right time. perhaps as
great good may be accomplished as by
the measures above mentioned. 1t is for
| this reason that we call your attention
| to the great necessity for preventive
surgery.
Preventive surgery. like preventive med
| icine has for its aim the prevention OF
| disease. 1t proposes to do this by remov-
| ing the causes of disease. To cure dis
| ease is a great boon, but to prevent 1t
/ is greater and more easily done. Disease,
! though eventually cured, brings pains.
! anxiety. loss of time, loss of money and
| much Inconvenience. To prevent dis
| ease does away in great measure with
! these undesirable things.
Body a Complex Machine.
| The human body is a complex machine
1t consists of many different cells, It's.
sues and organs each performing its spe-
cial work. but all working together, in
health with beautiful harmony and
balance as designed by the infinite mind
of God. 1t is a well known fact that
when this harmony is disturbed. the ma
chine cannot do its work properly, and
we say the man is SICK. just as some
little damage to very small part of
great mechanical device will destroy Its
usefulness, until it is repaired even SO
some trouble, apparently In itself lnslS-
nificant with a part or parts OF the hu-
man machine will render 1t unfit to per-
form the work for which it was designed.
Ii this is left unrepaired. 1t OFTEN leads
to greater troubles, causing much need
less suffering, expense and many deaths
1t is just this repair cure of trou-
bIes or diseases in the beginning purely
local, but, left untreated, leading to more
severe. general and fatal diseases that
preventive surgery sets itself to 90. 1nls
is a great task, and before it can be sue
cessfully accomplished the general pub
lie must be made to recognize its useful
ness just as it recognizes the usefulness
of public health measures belonging to
the field of preventive medicine.
There are several great obstacles that
prevent the general recognition or the
advantages of preventive surgical meth
DDS These are ignorance of the average
man as to the wonderful strides modern
surgery has made in the last few years.
prejudice on the part of some people,
rapidly growing fewer. against all sur
gical measures, and the old-fashioned I'M
reasonable attitude OF some doctors, who
look upon surgery in any case as last
resort.
Obstacles Losing Force.
The first of these obstacles is losing
force because of the great increase In
the average intelligence Of people. and
because Of the benefit to a larger number
of people. coming from every city, vii
lage and hamlet. who have been helped.
and whose very lives have been saved by
the conscientious and courageous work
of modern surgeons.
The second obstacle-prejudice-ha its
roots in the experience of the past. 1t
is more obstinate, but must yield before
the force of modern methods. 1t arose |
from the fact that the old surgeons be-
fore the day Of antiseptics lost so many
patients Well might the doctors OF that
day put off surgery as last resort"
and we'll might people have moral
dread of the knife. But today all is
changed; and the attitude of the people
from modern surgical operations is mar
velously low. Not even the most severe
operations of modern surgery are as
dangerous as being President of the
nf q re-
have lost their lives because of their Of
flee. This is a large percentage of death
rate than that resulting from the worst
operations at the hands Of careful pains
taking surgeons. These are facts, and
We can depend upon facts to overcome
even the worst prejudices.
The third obstacle will disappear with
the passing of the old-fashioned doctor.
Thanks to modern teaching, the younger
members of the profession no longer
recommend surgery as last resort"
but are quick to urge Its practice when
1t Is necessary
In such matters as this the public de-
mands to be shown before 1t is ready
to modify its practice according to the
recommendations of science. 1t has al
ready been shown that bad drinking
water. impure milk and flies tend to in
crease typhoid, dysentery, etc: that mos
quitoes spread malaria and yellow fever;
that diseased meat causes consumption
and trichiniass, and that lack of vaccina-
ton, and failure to use anttoxin increase
the ravages of smallpox and diphtheria In
the light of these facts intelligent gov
ernments and private citizens are quick
to lend their aid in the removal of the
causes of these diseases Now, surgery
offers it aid in saving the public from
many serious injuries and diseases which,
without its help, cannot be warded off.
Let us consider some of the ways by
which ii does this
Prevention of Injuries and Accidents
IAN ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure" is saying that is GER
tainly very applicable to accidents and
injuries which call for great many,
and often very serious, surgical opera
tions. In this day of railroads. automo-
biles and machinery, accidents occur with
| great frequency and men are killed or in
| jured in great numbers. Any issue of
| daily paper will contain an account of
| one or more such accidents, and the very
| worst feature connected with them Is
| that in many instances they might have
been prevented. 1t is far better to pre-
| vent an accident than to amputate a
! limb or do some other operation. which,
while ii may save the patients life. will
| leave him crippled.
| Much stress is being laid the fact
| . hox @lnx- do 1nt tnnk k1,as,