Introductory address to the students of the Extra-Academical School of Medicine : Edinburgh, session 1853-4 / by R.J. Mackenzie.

  • Mackenzie, Richard James, 1821-1854.
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Introductory address to the students of the Extra-Academical School of Medicine : Edinburgh, session 1853-4 / by R.J. Mackenzie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    of that evanescent kind, winch is acqnired by a few woeks' readinT and which had sen-ed, aided by tlie forbearance of my examiner to procnre my degi'ee. ' ' Fortnne, however, in tins instance, fivoured both my patient and myself; for a large opiate, which I procured, arrested the symptoms, and, with feehngs of thankfulness, on the followino- dav I handed over my nnwelcoms charge to her friends, and ^ ]-eceived their gi-ateful thanks for my valuable services. I am not ashamed to say that I profited by the lesson. On my return horn?, T took the opportunity, which will be amply afforded to you all, of learning something practically of what I had no in- tention of ever practising in my ijrofession, but ignorance of which experience had taught me, might be productive of serious con-^e- quences. Agam, let me relate to you an instance of A\'hat, I suspect is much more common—surgical incapacity—from ca scene, in which an intimate friencl of my own took part, which occiuTed in one of the last campaigns, in which a large British force was eno-ao-ed. l^ate on the evening of a severe action, the period at whlc^ so much depends on the skill and energy of the surgeon, my fi-iend was actively engaged ni ].eifoi-ming the necessarv operations, and otherwise attenchng to the wounded of his own regiment, when a vonng surgeon with qun-ering hp, and clouded bow, came in to beg a wm-d of him. My dear fellow, he said, here's a bad business! Five or six of my men have been brought in with their hmbs shattered by round-shot. What's to be done r Immediate amputation ^^^as suggested as the course Avhich must obviouslv be fo lowed, and a faimhar mode of instilling a little courage into the faltenng heart of the young siu-geon wasliinted at as a preliminarv measure. The latter part of the ad™, he hopelesslv replied, 1 acl been already acted on; but, as to perfonning anlputation, he in pie fact was, he dare not do it, for he had never piid any attention to operative surgen- Then go to bed, and take Je i ot to let vom-self be seen I was the sound but humiliating advice riven bymyfnend, who took the duty on himself, and than wLm no one was better qualified to perform it. vou now hnS''o'f^'? r^^''' opportunities which ^^ou novA^ haAe, of informing yourselves thorouol K- on all the sub jects which form your curriculum of studv; foi-, let me re iT there are veiy few, who will not be called up^n to r.ct'se Ich '^^t ^ ir—lAi^^-n:;^!^ ol'id o J^^^^ *^^^>- fi^^ themselves in^ A Oh eel m some of the difl^culties to which I have alluded the e^Tor'L M 'tT'^' f'''^' ''y ^''M'>^ ^^'^^^ JO into prevXinf ^ t^^^^ ^^''''V'' ^-=^™ing you. A custom ElJ T ■• '^ others, of awardino- prizes to the S kIk'notll7^n^^'^^ most'highly in ^oilpethic^is of ' ^^^ ^''^S^' -T^i^ P^'actice, I myself tliink, is a good one;