Publications of the Research Defence Society, March, 1908-March 1909.
- Research Defence Society.
- Date:
- 1909
Licence: In copyright
Credit: Publications of the Research Defence Society, March, 1908-March 1909. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.
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![produce jDain. I call the first one (simply to distin- guish it) the pathological factor—that is to say, what are the springs of disease ; and the other is the physio- logical factor—that is to say, how those springs of disease cause pain in the organism; that is just a division, for convenience, of the knowledge which we must possess in order to be able to lessen and control pain. Let me give an example of the way in which lack of knowledge increases suffering. The discovery that the organism could, by means of anaesthetics, pass into unconsciousness without passing into death, and that all the living operations could go on equally vigorously while consciousness—that is to say, the possibility of ]jain—was entirely suppressed, led to the use of anses- thetics, and, as a consequence, to the diminution of suffering, both directly during operations, and in- directly in increasing the possibilities of surgery. Without the knowledge obtained from that discovery men were obliged to perform operations in the brutal method of the old surgeons, because there was no other alternative. This is only an example of the way in which our power is limited by our knowledge. And I wish to point out with regard to this point, that here again we have no difference of oiDinion. Not only the -Whole jnedical profession, but the whole ^public agree th£it.doctors ought to be armed with aU the knowlellge oLthe time. There is no difference of view as to thk Every attempt is made to increase the efficiencyof the education of the doctor; because we feel that by arming the doctor with the knowledge of the time we arm him as best we can with the means of diminishing pain, lhat of course, is true with regard to the knowledge that has been attained during the last, let me take it forty years-the only years as to which I can speak \ and that knowledge has been mainly due to experi-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21509025_0085.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
