May 12, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



679 



crossed when we get to it." One thing we may 

 state definitely: we do not intend to meddle 

 with problems which deal with the termina- 

 ting of the present war. The exertion of our 

 energies will be limited to that which is at- 

 tainable to us. On the other hand, we con- 

 template dealing definitely with this one prob- 

 lem : at the termination of the war, or even at 

 the mere sight of this termination, an attempt 

 should be made to unite the medical men of 

 all the neutral countries for the purpose of 

 arranging an early international meeting of 

 the medical profession, to which meeting some 

 members of the profession of the belligerent 

 countries, who are or may then be in har- 

 mony with our ideals may be invited. We 

 shall thus perhaps be in a position to accele- 

 rate an early rapprochment and fraternal 

 reconciliation of the members of the medical 

 profession of all the civilized nations. Here 

 again we shall attempt to do our duty as we 

 see it, without being too sanguine as to an 

 early and complete success. 



Hippocratic Oath. — A few of our sympa- 

 thizing correspondents wished to know 

 whether the aims of the Medical Brotherhood 

 are not already covered by the Hippocratic 

 oath. No; that oath covers only the relations 

 of the physician to the individual as his pri- 

 vate patient or pupil. As we all know, the in- 

 fluence of this oath leaves plenty of room for 

 the ethical activities of the American Medical 

 Association, the newly created College of Sur- 

 geons, etc. The Medical Brotherhood does not 

 intend to deal with any part of this phase of 

 medical aifairs; it has in view exclusively the 

 relations of the physician to his country as a 

 patriot and to other countries as a humani- 

 tarian. 



Patriotism and Medical Preparedness. — We 

 have stated that medical men are in a position 

 to be patriots and humanitarians at the same 

 time. We have so far dealt exclusively with 

 the international side of the Brotherhood. In 

 fact, in the appeal it was expressly stated 

 " For the Furtherance of International Moral- 

 ity." However, it would not be out of place to 

 add a few remarks regarding patriotism and 

 the relation of the physician to it. The pres- 



ent war, while presenting a frightful picture 

 of the bloody struggle between the nations, 

 has revealed, on the other hand, a most re- 

 markable ethical side of the relations of the 

 individual to the state in each and every one 

 of the belligerent countries. The readiness of 

 the individual to be helpful to, and sacrifice 

 himself for, the state stands out as a shining 

 light in the midst of the extreme darkness of 

 the war. But here we wish to speak especially 

 of the relations of our own physicians to our 

 own country. Preparedness is a subject which 

 at present agitates profoundly the minds of all 

 of our citizens. It is none of our concern here 

 to discuss this subject from the general point 

 of view as citizens. As physicians, however, 

 there can not be the slightest doubt that it is 

 the duty of every member of the profession, 

 who is in a position to do so, to offer his as- 

 sistance to the medical department of the mili- 

 tary organization of our country. We do not 

 know when the country will be called upon to 

 defend itself. It may come suddenly, like a 

 bolt from the skies, which are surely not clear 

 at the present time. Physicians who are not 

 devoid of a sense of duty, should, therefore, 

 prepare themselves with the necessary knowl- 

 edge and skill, and should in large numbers in- 

 form the military medical department of their 

 willingness to serve in case of need. The hy- 

 gienist, bacteriologist and internist, etc., can 

 be of just as much service as the surgeon in 

 the incidents of war. The medical man who 

 marches with the scouts ahead of the army to 

 select camps, to test the drinking water, etc., 

 is as important as those who work behind the 

 lines. And the medical man whose daily work 

 brings him in contact with infectious and con- 

 tagious diseases is trained in courage as high 

 as the veteran of many battles; bacteria are 

 as deadly as bullets, and in his daily work the 

 physician, like the man in the firing line, never 

 knows when they may strike him. 



On the other hand, the practitioner knows 

 now quite well what importance is to be at- 

 tached to sympathetic psychical treatment of 

 patients who are in need of it. A training to 

 preserve humaneness in the midst of passion 

 and hatred ought to be a part of medical pre- 



