Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-06-09
The City of Doctors
BY Frederic J. Haskin.

Baltimore, Md, June 9.-For anyone
desiring to study the modern doctor in all
his numerous forms and activities, BaIti-
more offers perhaps the best field IN
America Not only are there somewhat
more doctors here than in any other Ameri-
can city of like size, but there are more
different kinds of doctors. The modern
tendency toward specialization, which Is
steadily narrowing the field Of the old
fashioned general practitioner, is here
seen at its best. And here too s found
at tr best the modern organization Of
doctors, which supplants the old-time
doctor with his little bag Of pills and in
struments by a large plant with expensive
equipment aud elaborate personnel
The chief reason for this gathering of
advanced medical men is the presence Of
Johns Hopkins University, which is not
only one Of the largest medical schools IN
the country but has the reputation Of
harboring more Of the genuine spirit Of
scientific inquiry and less of the mere com
mereial intent than any Of the Others.
Instead of manufacturing go many general
practitioners a year, and scattering them
over the country, Johns Hopkins produces
chiefly specialists and research men and
a great many Of these choose 10 remain
here so as to keep IN touch with the hest Of
medical thought and facility The patients
come TO them from all parts Of the coun-
try Hardly a through train stops here with
out letting off few sufferers, usually some
Of them on stretohers Baltimore's rep
utation as a place Of last resort for the
afflicted i. steadily growing They come
here even from New York and Philadel-
phia. For one thing the services Of special
lists here is to be had for less money than
ssa a - Il Er.s- -
thing, there is closer cooperation between
the Baltimore doctors, who form sort Of
loose organization about Johns Jopkins
ADVANCE or SURGERY.
The city il especially famous for is sur
gerry. and the science Of preparing the
patient for the operation has been carried
10 very high development The admins
tering Of anesthetics has become aspecialty
10 which many men devote thcmsclycs ex-
clusively. II II more and more realized
that the giving Of anesthetIcs Is z serious
matter and the tendency IS II Use NJ
little Of the drug as possible and till keep
the patient ont of pam Locai anesthesIa
is used more and more. II has been dis
covered by Grille that II local anesthetic
like novocainc i applied 90 that no pain
shock reaches the BRAN. even though the
- G{IlSftbANF ttltEf - tft3 i3Hti ~ 81
effect while il the patient is made wholly
unconscious but no local lanestheticapplied
he will nevertheless show all the effects Of
shock upon awakening. In the case Of
weak patient this effect Of shock il an
important factor Therefore the besf
practice is 10 use both the local and the
general anesthetlcs and as little as possible
OF the latter.
modern operation i narrowing
spectacle 10 Il layman, because often not
enough Of the general anesthetIc is used
to keep the patient from struggling and
groaniug He really feels nothing, hut he
looks and sounds like a man IN agony
In the case If large lnrI.1an IN the AL
domcn. for example Just enough ether
Will be used n keep the patient from roll
ing off the table whilc nnvocaInc will to
applied to each successive iayer III tissue
through whirh the knife must 60 Thls
Is a slow process hut worth all the time Il
takes In many Of the internal organs
there il little or no sensation as long as
none Of the adjacent nerves arc touched.
This II especially true of the BRAN There
Is no sensation IN BRAIN tIssfIe- u hen M
surgeon has sawed open the skull in a
brain operation, ne often works m that
organ while the patient is under barely
enough dTFsEflFIHs TO EsEEl EAiTI EA4it- JIG
Iavman has an exaggerated not ION of the
vilIernabilltv OF the BRAIN anyway 1
wound through the brain il seldom fataitin-
less one OF the great blood vessels is cut The
patient then dies Of internal hemorrhage
Many mon shot clean through the brain
during the war are still living.
MYSTERIOUS MALADfEs.
To Baltimore come many patients
from mysterious Affections hen
have baffied doctors elsewhere. such a
patient IL APT 70 become a pilgrim going
from one specialist 10 another. It Is All
expensive and dlscouraging process. but
APT to prove less expensive and dlscourag-
ing in the long run than endless meddling
by doctors who do not know what IS the
matter
Take for example the ease Of woman
" no came here suffering from acute
abdominal pans, which doctors in other |
cities had been unable 10 account for +
First the N-raY experts At Johns Hopkins +
looked through her Some sixteen plates i
we're taken, but revealed nothing 4 stom- +
,eh specialist was then sought and he /
examined her and proclaimed that there
VAS nothing whatever the matter With her +
stomach lie suggested The appendix IS |
/ he probable cause OF the trouble
But that Is below my jurisdiction
he explained You v Ill have 10 20 10 DR. I
Blank
AcAsk FOR MANY DOCTORS.
DR. Blank removed the appendix on
general principles. and found II slightly I
swollen, but asserted that il could not /
possibly be the cause of the intense sgony
which the woman was shen suffering He ad +
vIsed that she be cat open and an eN- +
ploration OF her vital organs undertaken /
\ leading surgeon accordingly WAS called !
III and performed this major operation
for he sole purpo. Of investigation He +
immediately found that one of the id F
neys was enormously Solen owing 10 a T
growth obstruetng rs discharge rhe I
patient vas not turned over to vet another /
doctor whose speciality was the draining
of such obstrueted organs The kidney was T
drained. the obstruction removed and I
the woman soon restored to health
Undoubtedly medicine in the future +
vii be everywhere. as IT is now here IN I
Baltimore. 10 a great extent a highly or
ganlxed and specialized science IhefamilN i
viii be called in only for .
very minor ailments and injuries The .
trouble with him Is that he Is seldom q gaod +