M E D I C I N E-S U R G E R Y. 



* I "HE belief that some human beings attain 

 J. the power of curing the bodily ailments of 

 their fellow-creatures, is one of the highest anti- 

 quity. In ancient times, the practice of medicine 

 was in the hands of the priests, who were sup- 

 posed to be capable of controlling the operations 

 of nature, in consequence of their presumed 

 communion with the world of spirits. As know- 

 ledge advanced, medicine was separated from 

 religion, and a new profession arose that of 

 the art of medicine, or the curing of the sick. 

 This art, in course of time, was divided into 

 two, Medicine and Surgery ; and in our day we 

 find men devoting their attention almost exclu- 

 sively to one or the other branch. But it is 

 important to observe, at the outset, that there 

 is no clear line of demarcation between the two. 

 No surgeon can be truly great in his department 

 of practice who is not familiar with the art of 

 medicine, and the converse proposition also holds 

 good. We have this fact well illustrated by the 

 familiar example of the general practitioner, who 

 is a man engaged daily in the treatment of cases 

 which fall into the domain of the physician, but 

 who also practises surgery when he meets with 

 wounds, fractures, dislocations, or other injuries. 

 At one time, the practice of medicine or surgery 

 was hidden in mystery. The treatment of cer- 

 tain surgical affections, for example, was kept a 

 profound secret, which was handed down in 

 families from father to son. But medicine and 

 surgery are now liberal arts. No member of the 

 profession deals in secret methods of investiga- 

 tion or treatment ; but, on the contrary, should 

 he discover any better mode of relieving suffering 

 or detecting disease, he is bound at once to 

 announce it for the good of all The profession 

 is also more liberal as regards the public than it 

 was at one time. It does not encourage a love 

 of the marvellous ; it does not pretend to work 

 almost miraculous cures. It announces to all that 

 the art of healing is founded on a knowledge of 

 the laws of health, and on a knowledge of the 

 precise action on the body of substances called 

 medicines. It is the object of this article to give 

 a sketch of medicine and surgery such as will be 

 understood by an intelligent reader. It is not 

 intended to supplant the doctor, but to give, if 

 possible, correct notions regarding his work, and 

 to indicate what should be done in minor ail- 

 ments, or in cases of sudden illness or accidents. 



Before commencing the subject, however, it 

 may be well to state briefly a few rules which 

 ought, as far as possible, to guide people in their 

 relations with medical men. 



1. In all cases of illness, except well-known 

 slight complaints, the doctor should be called in 

 as soon as possible. Delay is often dangerous to 

 life, and, at all events, will postpone recovery. 



2. After a doctor has been called on to take 

 charge of a case, his orders should be rigidly 

 carried out. Frequently, the purpose of these 



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orders may not be understood, but still they 

 should be attended to. Nothing is more annoy- 

 ing to a medical man, on his second visit, than 

 to find that what he recommended for the good of 

 the patient has been set aside or overlooked ; and 

 his annoyance is usually aggravaled by finding 

 his patient worse than he expected. 



3. While a doctor has charge of a case, no 

 other medical man should be consulted without 

 the consent of the doctor first in attendance. 

 This is a rule often broken. While it is unjust to 

 the patient to interfere with his treatment, it may 

 be the cause of heart-burnings and misunder- 

 standings between the medical men, who may 

 have been friends. If the friends of the patient 

 have lost confidence in the doctor, he should be 

 asked to meet with another in consultation. To 

 do this requires moral courage, but it is right 



4. When a doctor is consulted, he should not 

 always be expected to write a prescription. Many 

 people imagine that the only way of treating a 

 disease is to give medicines, and they are, con- 

 sequently, disappointed if the doctor sends them 

 away without a nauseous mixture or a potent pill 

 This idea has indirectly led to much almost 

 unconscious quackery on the part of some mem- 

 bers of the profession, for which the public has 

 itself to blame. A change of diet, or of scene, or 

 of work, or abstinence from a luxury, or giving 

 up a certain habit, may be all the doctor recom- 

 mends ; and yet, by following his advice, the dis- 

 ease may be cured. 



MEDICINE. 



Before giving a general description of the dis- 

 eases which are treated by the physician, it is 

 necessary to understand what we mean by health 

 and disease. Health is the condition of the body 

 when all the functions of the various organs are 

 perfectly and harmoniously performed Disease 

 is any deviation from this condition. Disordered 

 function almost always depends on changes in 

 the structure of the part. Disease is not an 

 entity, a something introduced from without ; it 

 is merely a word expressing a state in which 

 one or more of the functions of the body are dis- 

 turbed. This is true even in those cases in which 

 the symptoms of fever or ague may be the result 

 of the introduction into the body of a poison 

 emanating from decomposing animal or vegetable 

 matter. The poison is carried by the blood to the 

 tissues and organs, and so affects these that their 

 functions are disturbed. This disturbance con- 

 stitutes the disease. At one time, disease was 

 considered as something entirely foreign to the 

 body, introduced from without, and therefore to 

 be expelled as soon as possible ; and the means 

 used for the expulsion of the enemy were often 

 so vigorous as to leave the citadel in ruins. With 



