34 



MEMORIES OF MY LIFE 



could be compiled truthfully, it would be an excellent 

 guide to those who wanted a doctor but were doubt- 

 ful whom to consult. A high index of curative skill 

 would serve as a measure of merit, and the fee to the 

 doctor might be regulated by its height. 



I threw myself into my duties with zeal, and loved 

 neat bandaging and neat plaistering. Each clinical 

 clerk had a dressing board, supported against his 

 body by a strong band passed over his neck : its ends 

 were fixed to the board. Lint, plaister, scissors, 

 forceps, probe, and a few other simple surgical 

 instruments completed the outfit. There was much 

 bleeding from the arm, especially of out-patients ; 

 there were also cuppings and insertion of issues and 

 of setons. All these I could soon do creditably ; I 

 was fairly good even at tooth-drawing. I set broken 

 limbs, at first under strict supervision, but was latterly 

 allowed much freedom. I had also occasionally to 

 reduce dislocations of the arm, and once at least of 

 the thigh. The mechanism of the body began to 

 appear very simple in its elementary features. At 

 one time no less than sixteen fractures, dislocations, 

 or other injuries to the arms, or parts of them, were 

 practically under my sole care all at the same time. 

 Of course my proceedings were carefully watched. 



The following incident in those pre-chloroform 

 days set me thinking. A powerful drayman was 

 brought in dead drunk, with both of his thighs crushed 

 and mangled by a heavy waggon. They had to be 

 amputated at once. He remained totally unconscious 

 all the time, and it was not until he awoke sober in 

 the morning that he discovered that his legs were 

 gone. He recovered completely. The question that 



