Anatomy : proceedings at the National Political Union, respecting legislative interference in the study of anatomy, and the supply of bodies for anatomical research.

  • National Political Union.
Date:
1832
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Anatomy : proceedings at the National Political Union, respecting legislative interference in the study of anatomy, and the supply of bodies for anatomical research. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    12/24 (page 12)
    ation; I slept till after four o’clock in the morning, and then awoke in dreadful pain, the abdomen, (belly) was very much swelled and very hard; knowing what was the matter with me, I dispatched one of my family for an apothecary, telling him not to come back without some person who should have his lancets with him; in a short time the apo- thecary’s assistant was with me, and I immediately desir- ed him to bleed me until I fainted; having examined me, he did so, and I was cured, that is, the inflamation was stopped ; proper care was of course taken, but the disor- der was killed outright by the bleeding. So rapid was the inflamation that had bleeding been delayed but a few hours, I should have died, and but for the little knowledge I had acquired of surgery and Anatomy, instead of sending so promptly for assistance, I, who had never before re- quired the aid of either surgeon or doctor, should as is common in such cases have had recourse to warm liquids, and assisted by the ignorance of those about me, should probably have taken hot brandy and water, and the sur- geon would not have been sent for until all domestic pro- cesses had failed, an^ thus like many others who have been similarly circumstanced, I should have died. Thus you see how very valuable is even a little knowledge of Anat- omy and surgery. Let us then do what we can to make the acquisition of surgical knowledge cheap to the profess- ers of that science, and then they will make it, in its gene- ral bearings, familiar to every one who may wish to have the information. No one denies that good surgeons and doctors are desir- able, but still few seem to have noticed the fact, that it is most desirable to those who earn their bread by the labour of their hands, not only is this the case, but it is espe- cially for their advantage that they should be well instruct- ed, that there should be plenty of them ; it is indeed much more for their advantage than it can ever be to any other class of persons that good surgeons and doctors should abound. Yet they cannot abound if difficulties to the ac- quisition of the requisite knowledge be thrown in their way, if the acquisition of this knowledge be made difficult and expensive, their number will be proportionably de- creased, and the consequence must be that the rich, and they who can afford to pay large sums will have able men to attend them, and they who are not rich, and not able to pay large sums, will have none to attend them but such as never ought to be allowed to attend any body; and the treatment will accord with their ignorance. Ignorance alone will prescribe for the people when sick, and when by acci- dent or disease operations may be necessary, they will