THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
250
of
The amount
Sfluj Jiulhtit Utijdijjiil AUGUST, 1885. THE CIVIL DEPARTMENT OF THE INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE AS A FIELD FOR OPERATIVE SURGERY.
comparisons
When
the relative
regarding
have
been
advantages
instituted which the
ations done
little
for young medical men, has often been accorded to
too
weight
one
which the latter service
pre-eminent advantage
possesses over the former. TV e allude to the great and manifold attractions which the Indian Medical Service holds out
to
its members in the
wide field of
Operative Surgery. pecuniary advantages of a career in either service are now-a-days pretty equally balanced, and the retiring pensions are also The
much the
same
in both services.
Staff, however, men
to
tropical
whom
will an
climate is
ever
The Medical
attract to its ranks
uninterrupted most
career
distasteful.
also attract those whose
proclivities
direction of
scene
change
of
and
in
a
It will
tend in the
climate,
and
who yearn for life in Europe, and that numerous class who are fired with the laudable ambition of
obtaining military
distinctions and rewards.
But
to the young medical man whose ambition and desires tend in the direction of becoming,
comparatively early in life, perienced surgical operator, become a specialist in the
a or
skilled and
ex-
who wishes to
best
sense
of this
much-abused term, the Indian Medical Service offers opportunities unrivalled in any other service in any country. Having spent a few years in regimental duty, the young surgeon of the Iudian Medical Service can generally obtain an
appointment
now,
in the Civil
Department.
If
the bent of his desires be in the direction
of
operative surgery, he will soon obtain a wide field for his labours amongst the teeming population of this country, provided he be sympathe-
by
who have
men
offer
career
Dr. A. J. Willcocks
or
Dr.
Unless we are much misyears 1878?1882. the of this Appendix will cause taken, perusal
astonishment, and no little envy, amongst those Hospital Surgeons iu Great Britain who hitherto have not had
published
access
to State
iu this country.
the Lithotomist
Medical Returns
More
especially
will
young Oculist at home sigh in vain for the opportunities within the reach of or
of the Indian
most members
Medical Service
iu this country. A glance at this Appendix shows that, during the period of five years end-
ing 1882, as many as 13,724 operations were performed, in the North-West Provinces and alone, for extraction of cataract. During same period, 9,261 cases of stone in the
Oudh the
bladder
were
Provinces and
treated in
Oudh,
Punjab returns only draw special attention and stone
cases
Bengal, North-West Punjab. And the
and the
four years. We of to the amount cataract cover
in these returns,
although
other
important branches of surgery, such as amputations, resection of joints and the removal of
young medical
cases.
performed anysurgical oper-
FiiETER, the one in extracting Cataracts, the other iu Lithotomy and Litholapaxy ? Surgeon-Major McLeod, in his recently published work on operative surgery, has, therefore, done well, in the interests of the service of which lie is such a distinguished member, to embody in his work an Appendix shewing the Return of Surgical Operations performed in the hospital and dispensaries in Bengal, the North-West Provinces and Oudh, and the Punjab, during the
single-handed the most
gery, and painstaking and the details of the after-treatment of such
we
P. J.
tumours, are well been a matter of it has
undertaking operations in surcareful in carrying out
work
the number of
tic in manner, bold and self-relient in difficult
surgical
what other medical service in the world do meet with young
thing approaching
a
honest
1885.
performed at many of the dispensaries and hospitals in mofussil stations scattered over the length and breadth of India is very great, and many members of the Indian Medical Service, with less than twelve years' service, can count their cataract or stone cases by hundreds. In
Medical Staff and the Indian Medical Service as
good
[Aug.,
large
pecuniary
men
represented. Often surprise to us that at home, endowed with ample
means, and who
nexions amongst the
have friends
governing
or
bodies of
consome
OPERATIVE SURGERY IN THE INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE.
Aug., 1885.] of
the
large hospitals
iu
London,
have
land.
not
We, therefore, rejoice
that
251
McLeod,
in
entered the Indian Medical Service with thehis recent work on Operative Surgery, and in the March number of the Lancet, object of accumulating an amount of surgicalFreyer, have placed before medical readers in Europe experience in a few years' time, which it would some of the statistics relating to the treatment take them a quarter of a century to gain whilst acting in a subordinate position on the staff ofof stone in this country. the last three or four a London Hospital. Pecuniary considerations Litholapaxy has, during would not debar them from the service years, been favourably started in this country,
resigning O
O
and the operation is quite certain to become a eight or ten years' service in this country, most popular one and they would return to England early in life amongst the natives of India. to the present time, between four and five having performed more important surgical oper- Up after
ations than the
visiting
would
not
most
staff of
of the senior a
London
surgeons
Hospital.
on
They
have lost touch with influential friends
amongst the
governing
bodies of the
Hospitals
hundred in
this
which is Indian
Litholapaxies
country
highly Medical
with
have
an
been
performed
amount of
success
creditable to members of the Service.
Within
the
next
or Medical Schools at which they studied, and five years the number of such operations will therefore behoves the best claims to a surgical appointment on the be counted by thousands. It Medical Service to of members the Indian Hospital Staff would be the large amount of tabulate all Litholapaxies according to some surgical experience they had accumulated by a fixed plan, such as that adopted by Fueyer or sojourn in this country. Iu India, they would have learnt the value of self-reliance in perform- KeeGtAN, if the work done in this particular branch of surgery in India is to receive in the ing grave surgical operations almost singlefuture just recognition at the hands of their handed, for in mofussil practice in this country, medical brethren at home. It will not be the operator is not surrounded by a troup of to tabulate the number of sufficient merely confreres as well-trained or as well educated as in each province of himself. He cannot divide his responsibilities Litholapaxies performed India. Unless the age and sex of patients, or shift an error of diagnosis on to another's and composition of stone, and the size of shoulders. He must plan and act for himself, weight Lithotrite and evacuatingCatheters are faithfully and his failures and successes are all his own. such statistics will be simply worthIt has often been remarked that medical registered, less for future reference and guidance. We trust journals and surgical writers at home ignore therefore that the heads of the several medical to a great extent the vast amount of surgical administrations in this country will insist on the We work done by surgeons iu this country. necessity of all such cases for the future being need only mention the single subject of stone reported according to one standard or fixed table. in the bladder to show how true this remark is. If, by these few cursory remarks on the Erichsen, Holmes in his System of Surgery, advantages which the civil branch of the Bryant, Sir Henry Thompson, have one and all Indian Medical Service holds out to its memcompletely ignored the work done by Litho- bers in the field of operative surgery, we have tomists in this country when tabulating the fired the ambition of some of the junior memstatistics of successes and failures following the bers of the service, or awakened thoughts of operation of Lateral Lithotomy. Ou reading distinction in the minds of intendthat professional one might suppose works their through ing candidates for admission into our ranks, there were no available statistics of cases of then we have accomplished the object we had Those authors, stone treated in this country. in view in addressing our fellow-workers in however, should not be considered responsible this country on a subject which so intimately for this omission, for the statistics of surgical concerns the position aud reputation of a work performed in this country are entombed service of which we all should feel so proud. in which seldom see the light in Eug-
reports
250
of
The amount
Sfluj Jiulhtit Utijdijjiil AUGUST, 1885. THE CIVIL DEPARTMENT OF THE INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE AS A FIELD FOR OPERATIVE SURGERY.
comparisons
When
the relative
regarding
have
been
advantages
instituted which the
ations done
little
for young medical men, has often been accorded to
too
weight
one
which the latter service
pre-eminent advantage
possesses over the former. TV e allude to the great and manifold attractions which the Indian Medical Service holds out
to
its members in the
wide field of
Operative Surgery. pecuniary advantages of a career in either service are now-a-days pretty equally balanced, and the retiring pensions are also The
much the
same
in both services.
Staff, however, men
to
tropical
whom
will an
climate is
ever
The Medical
attract to its ranks
uninterrupted most
career
distasteful.
also attract those whose
proclivities
direction of
scene
change
of
and
in
a
It will
tend in the
climate,
and
who yearn for life in Europe, and that numerous class who are fired with the laudable ambition of
obtaining military
distinctions and rewards.
But
to the young medical man whose ambition and desires tend in the direction of becoming,
comparatively early in life, perienced surgical operator, become a specialist in the
a or
skilled and
ex-
who wishes to
best
sense
of this
much-abused term, the Indian Medical Service offers opportunities unrivalled in any other service in any country. Having spent a few years in regimental duty, the young surgeon of the Iudian Medical Service can generally obtain an
appointment
now,
in the Civil
Department.
If
the bent of his desires be in the direction
of
operative surgery, he will soon obtain a wide field for his labours amongst the teeming population of this country, provided he be sympathe-
by
who have
men
offer
career
Dr. A. J. Willcocks
or
Dr.
Unless we are much misyears 1878?1882. the of this Appendix will cause taken, perusal
astonishment, and no little envy, amongst those Hospital Surgeons iu Great Britain who hitherto have not had
published
access
to State
iu this country.
the Lithotomist
Medical Returns
More
especially
will
young Oculist at home sigh in vain for the opportunities within the reach of or
of the Indian
most members
Medical Service
iu this country. A glance at this Appendix shows that, during the period of five years end-
ing 1882, as many as 13,724 operations were performed, in the North-West Provinces and alone, for extraction of cataract. During same period, 9,261 cases of stone in the
Oudh the
bladder
were
Provinces and
treated in
Oudh,
Punjab returns only draw special attention and stone
cases
Bengal, North-West Punjab. And the
and the
four years. We of to the amount cataract cover
in these returns,
although
other
important branches of surgery, such as amputations, resection of joints and the removal of
young medical
cases.
performed anysurgical oper-
FiiETER, the one in extracting Cataracts, the other iu Lithotomy and Litholapaxy ? Surgeon-Major McLeod, in his recently published work on operative surgery, has, therefore, done well, in the interests of the service of which lie is such a distinguished member, to embody in his work an Appendix shewing the Return of Surgical Operations performed in the hospital and dispensaries in Bengal, the North-West Provinces and Oudh, and the Punjab, during the
single-handed the most
gery, and painstaking and the details of the after-treatment of such
we
P. J.
tumours, are well been a matter of it has
undertaking operations in surcareful in carrying out
work
the number of
tic in manner, bold and self-relient in difficult
surgical
what other medical service in the world do meet with young
thing approaching
a
honest
1885.
performed at many of the dispensaries and hospitals in mofussil stations scattered over the length and breadth of India is very great, and many members of the Indian Medical Service, with less than twelve years' service, can count their cataract or stone cases by hundreds. In
Medical Staff and the Indian Medical Service as
good
[Aug.,
large
pecuniary
men
represented. Often surprise to us that at home, endowed with ample
means, and who
nexions amongst the
have friends
governing
or
bodies of
consome
OPERATIVE SURGERY IN THE INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE.
Aug., 1885.] of
the
large hospitals
iu
London,
have
land.
not
We, therefore, rejoice
that
251
McLeod,
in
entered the Indian Medical Service with thehis recent work on Operative Surgery, and in the March number of the Lancet, object of accumulating an amount of surgicalFreyer, have placed before medical readers in Europe experience in a few years' time, which it would some of the statistics relating to the treatment take them a quarter of a century to gain whilst acting in a subordinate position on the staff ofof stone in this country. the last three or four a London Hospital. Pecuniary considerations Litholapaxy has, during would not debar them from the service years, been favourably started in this country,
resigning O
O
and the operation is quite certain to become a eight or ten years' service in this country, most popular one and they would return to England early in life amongst the natives of India. to the present time, between four and five having performed more important surgical oper- Up after
ations than the
visiting
would
not
most
staff of
of the senior a
London
surgeons
Hospital.
on
They
have lost touch with influential friends
amongst the
governing
bodies of the
Hospitals
hundred in
this
which is Indian
Litholapaxies
country
highly Medical
with
have
an
been
performed
amount of
success
creditable to members of the Service.
Within
the
next
or Medical Schools at which they studied, and five years the number of such operations will therefore behoves the best claims to a surgical appointment on the be counted by thousands. It Medical Service to of members the Indian Hospital Staff would be the large amount of tabulate all Litholapaxies according to some surgical experience they had accumulated by a fixed plan, such as that adopted by Fueyer or sojourn in this country. Iu India, they would have learnt the value of self-reliance in perform- KeeGtAN, if the work done in this particular branch of surgery in India is to receive in the ing grave surgical operations almost singlefuture just recognition at the hands of their handed, for in mofussil practice in this country, medical brethren at home. It will not be the operator is not surrounded by a troup of to tabulate the number of sufficient merely confreres as well-trained or as well educated as in each province of himself. He cannot divide his responsibilities Litholapaxies performed India. Unless the age and sex of patients, or shift an error of diagnosis on to another's and composition of stone, and the size of shoulders. He must plan and act for himself, weight Lithotrite and evacuatingCatheters are faithfully and his failures and successes are all his own. such statistics will be simply worthIt has often been remarked that medical registered, less for future reference and guidance. We trust journals and surgical writers at home ignore therefore that the heads of the several medical to a great extent the vast amount of surgical administrations in this country will insist on the We work done by surgeons iu this country. necessity of all such cases for the future being need only mention the single subject of stone reported according to one standard or fixed table. in the bladder to show how true this remark is. If, by these few cursory remarks on the Erichsen, Holmes in his System of Surgery, advantages which the civil branch of the Bryant, Sir Henry Thompson, have one and all Indian Medical Service holds out to its memcompletely ignored the work done by Litho- bers in the field of operative surgery, we have tomists in this country when tabulating the fired the ambition of some of the junior memstatistics of successes and failures following the bers of the service, or awakened thoughts of operation of Lateral Lithotomy. Ou reading distinction in the minds of intendthat professional one might suppose works their through ing candidates for admission into our ranks, there were no available statistics of cases of then we have accomplished the object we had Those authors, stone treated in this country. in view in addressing our fellow-workers in however, should not be considered responsible this country on a subject which so intimately for this omission, for the statistics of surgical concerns the position aud reputation of a work performed in this country are entombed service of which we all should feel so proud. in which seldom see the light in Eug-
reports
