290 Intranational and International Ethics [June-September 



but he is not engaged in killing or harming any one helonging to 

 another nation or country. 



There might be a few exceptions — it would be miracnlous in- 

 deed if there would be none; any large group has its exceptions. 

 But such few exceptions can not be held up against this wonderful 

 picture which medical men present in war. And wonderful indeed 

 this picture is. We have seen how low international morality is at 

 all times; we see how infamously bad it is in time of war and 

 especially in the present ferocious war of cultured nations. And in 

 the midst of this inferno we perceive a group of sciences which are 

 in intimate contact with life and with war, and which nevertheless 

 never contribute to the degradation of interracial or international 

 morality. We perceive, furthermore, in every belligerent nation 

 among the combatants a group of patriotic men, brave and ready 

 for every self-sacrifice, who do nothing but render help to those 

 who need it, who render it as members of their particular country, 

 but render it to foe and friend alike. Here are representatives of 

 humanity, as a whole, here is a most encouraging example of an 

 elevated international morality. 



This wonderful fact is not my discovery; it is a fact well estab- 

 lished, and well known to everybody, at least ought to be known by 

 everybody. But the calling of this fact to fidl consciousness in the 

 members of our profession may render a great service to the prog- 

 ress of international morality. 



In the dawn of history, the medical man was also the exponent 

 of philosophy and morals. In the middle ages when knowledge 

 became specialized, medical men more and more devoted their ac- 

 tivity exclusively to medical practise. On account of the inefficiency 

 of medicine at that time, medicine lost its prestige. Recently, how- 

 ever, medicine became a science and one marvelous discovery fol- 

 lows another; and the efficiency of medical practise increases 

 rapidly. Medicine makes inhabitable to man hitherto uninhabitable 

 parts of the world. It prevents disease, and with increased effi- 

 ciency it learns to eure it. Medical sciences and medical men have 

 steadily risen in the estimate of discriminating civilized mankind. 

 Could medtcal sciences and medical men not become again the 

 standard-bearers of morals^ especially of international morality? 



