Evening star., 1938-09-04
By Mary.Carter Roberts.

CHEVALIER JACKSON is the man
who made it safe, If not de-
sirable, for babies to swallow safety
pins. More explicitly, he is the man
who invented the broncoscope, the In
strument by which foreign bodies"
are extracted from the lungs and
bronchial tubes of human beings reck-
less enough to take such inconveni-
ences in. And one gathers from this
book that DR.. Jackson has gone
through life in a state of relentless
hostility to all bodies which might
be called foreign" His great work,
Of course, is the development of the
broncoscope and bronchial surgery, an
achievement definitely in the interest
But the state of mind which pro-
duced this achievement is evidently
one which harbors an enmity toward
foreign bodies" in any environment.
DR.. JackSon'S first invention, indeed,
was tool for removing wayward or
stranded drilling bits from the throats
of ailing oil wells, and he was no
illOlC llihll IL tCdlo Old "llCll dS
vised this apparatus-now commonly
in use in all the oil fields of the world.
This percocity would seem to indicate a
congenital dislike Of all things out of
place and impeding natures or mans
intentions, and from this initial treat
ment of a fifteen -hundred-foot case
of throat obstruction his progress to-
ward broncoscopy has been perhaps
inevitable.
At any rate. 1t makes fascinating
story. DR.. jackson Is now in his 73d
year. which means that. as medical
student. he had no such advantages
as the fledgling NJ. D. gets today.
In his youth antiseptic surgery was
the great discovery, but it was so new
that some reputable doctors still dis
believed In its Importance. A reader
of DR.. Jackson's life history will un-
avoidably reflect on the slightness of
the training with which the future
creator of the science Of broncoscopy
entered on his professional career.
LIE HAD three years at Jefferson
Medical College. in Philadelphia,
to serve him as his definite profess
sional training Pre-medical work con-
sisted of one years study in the Office
Of a general practitioner, somewhat
in the role of apprentice. That was
all that was required for the degree of
doctor of medicine. but DR.. Jackson,
who was already girding up his loins
for the pursuit of those foreign bod
les" which were to be his lifelong
anathema, took subsequent training
under the great English throat spe-
cialist. Dr. Morrel Mackenzie. He
tells us, however. that this special
study was brief in duration because
his funds were low He remained
until he could afford to remain no
longer. Then he came home. having.
when he arrived Sl65 as capital with
which to begin his professional ca
reer.
He hung out his shingle in Pitts
burgh, and showed even thus early
his progressive inclinations, for he
entered medical practice as throat
specialist when specializing was still
more or less novelty. He urged on
school authorities the desirability Of
tonsillectomies for children afflicted
with septic tonsils and he demon
strated to these disbelieving officials
that there was distinct relationship
between backward mentalities and dis
eased throats. But chiefly he began
his lifelong warfare on foreign
bodies"
He started at this time his collec-
ton Of objects removed from human
throats. a collection which was to
grow steadily through the years. He
tell us that one of his early cases
was of child who had swallowed
a quarter; the father Of this boy had
no reverence for the scientific spirit,
however, and cruelty beat his son for
having allowed the doctor to retain
the trophy, the unpaid-for removal Of
which had saved the child's life. DR..
jackson settled the matter by handing
over 50-cent piece. The back pages
Va UIllS DOOh diC 1lllCu Will plSluACo
of hundreds of unseemly objects
screws. buttons, toys, nails, pins, sta
Piles, coins, seeds, shells, bones and
even false teeth-since fished out Of
human outlets by the authors almost
1nhuman skill
I 1NTH 1915 the doctor remained in
Pittsburgh, and although in this
time he acquired an international
reputation as authority on throat dis
eases and distractions and received
many coveted honors, he relates that
he made no fortune. but tells us. in
deed, that he was definitely poor for
most of the period. The reason was,
as he says. that 90 per cent of his
practice was charity. 1t would seem
that the children of the poor are
more prone to take in foreign bodies"
than are those Of the rich, and DR..
Jackson. in his own words. could never
bring himself to refuse case or to
ask for payment If payment was not
offered. Such an omission could not
20 for long unmatched among the pov-
erty stricken, and he shortly became
known as a doctor who would work
for little or nothing Thus the volume
of his practice grew without bringing
him any corresponding increase OF in
come.
He worked necessarily and exhaust
ed himself to the point where. in 1911,
he developed a tuberculous infec-
ton. He was ordered to bed and used
his time there to study still more
methods and theories for treating
ailing throats. Throughout his life,
from thst tive on the threat of tu-
berculosis hung over him, and he suf-
fered from two subsequent attacks.
In 1916 he was offered the profess
sorship Of laryngology at Jefferson
Medical College, his old school, and
moved to Philadelphia. where he has
remained since, the undisputed au-
thority in his professional field.
1t would seem to the reviewer that,