424 Colonel George Adami [Feb. 7, 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, February 7, 1919. 



Sir James Crichton-Browne, J. P. M.D. LL.D. D.Sc. F.R.S., 

 Treasurer and Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Colonel George Adami, M.D. F.R.S., Canadian Army Medical 



Corps. 



Medicine and the War. 



Now that close upon three months have elapsed since that memorable 

 eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1018 

 when the suns ceased, the time is ripe to view an aspect of the war 

 which interests all thoughtful people — namely, the part played by 

 medicine and medical advance in the prosecution of the campaign. 

 Your good physician in times of peace does not vaunt his wares, and 

 when he dons khaki his spirit does not alter. As a result, throughout 

 the war little that is authoritative has been published regarding the 

 broad aspects of the work of the medical units. Correspondent after 

 correspondent, it is true, writing from the war zone has borne witness 

 to the wonderful way in which the army medical service has risen to 

 the occasion, to its capability, flexibility and devotion, but this is 

 almost the first occasion that has offered itself for a general review 

 of the outstanding accompHshments of the service, and fortunately 

 my semi detached position as an officer, not of the Royal Army 

 Medical Corps, but of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, permits me 

 to speak openly and without false modesty regarding the good deeds 

 and great acliievements of my British colleagues. It is but right 

 and fitting that the people of the Empire should realise the extent 

 of the victory and of their debt to the R.A.M.C., for truly the con- 

 quest of disease has been the greatest and the noblest victory of all. 



Here, indeed, the first difficulty presents itself. So great has 

 been the victory, so many the advances, that it is impossible to deal 

 adequately with my topic in the course of one hour. I cannot give 

 the complete picture, at most a rapid sketch with the high lights 

 dashed in. 



Let me in the first place begin l)y erasing the generally accepted 

 picture. What has impressed the war correspondent has been the 

 triumph of the surgeon in the care of the wounded. The general 

 opinion, even in the profession, both before and during the war, has 

 l)een that the outstanding advances of the generation have been the 

 surgical. Now at the risk of being thought paradoxical, without in 



