Influence of War on Surgery

Abstract

MR. V. ZACHARY COPE gave a Chadwick Lecture on October 7 in which he discussed the influence of war on surgery. Surgery, or the handicraft of healing, he pointed out, has always been an art, but only recently a science. In pre–historic and historic times up to the time when Harvey discovered the circulation of the blood, surgery was a crude art, and for the most part surgeons learnt their lessons on the battle–field. When first there began to be an anatomical and physiological basis for surgery, it was upon the battle–field that trials of various discoveries were made. Antiseptics were given their first big trial in the Franco–Prussian war. Modern wars are upon so large a scale that they provide unparalleled opportunities for the trial of new remedies, and the intensive research necessit ated by the demands of war may concentrate within a year what would usually take ten years to do. The War of 1914–18 led to great advances in surgery. The prevention of tetanus by prophylactic administration of specific serum was standardized, and the treatment of shock and haemorrhage by blood transfusion made readily available.