82 THE NEW PHYSIOLOGY. 



have been longing. . . . With the passing of the 

 physiologic words go also their meanings, and through- 

 out the rest of the school career, and too often the rest 

 of professional life, physiology is merely a scientific 

 curiosity." 



I wish to make some suggestions as to the causes of, 

 and remedy for, the defects in living contact of physiology 

 and the other immediately preparatory branches of 

 medical study with practical medicine and surgery. I 

 do not think that the causes lie so much on the surface 

 as might at first be supposed. We have, I think, to dig 

 rather deep to discover them, and to dig into a con- 

 troversial subject. Hence I can hardly look for general 

 assent to my conclusions. I hope, nevertheless, that 

 they may at least give rise to a fruitful discussion. 



The aim which medicine and surgery have constantly 

 before them is to help in restoring health and prevent- 

 ing ill-health. Now let us first try to see from actual 

 examples how medical and surgical interference can con- 

 tribute in this direction. Though I have been outside 

 ordinary medical practice ever since I was house-physician 

 at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, my work has kept me 

 in contact with many problems of preventive medicine ; 

 and recently the war has brought me, like most other 

 physiologists, back to ordinary problems of practical 

 medicine. I will, therefore, take as examples one or 

 two medical problems with which I have recently been 

 in contact. 



The first of these relates to the treatment of the acute 

 stages of poisoning by ordinary lung-irritant gases, 

 such as chlorine, phosgene, or trichlor-methyl-chloro- 

 formate. Some hours after a serious exposure to one 



