The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1944. MEDICINE, NOW AND IN THE FUTURE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 280, 23 August 1944, Page 4

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1944. MEDICINE, NOW AND IN THE FUTURE

Although the present war has been responsible for death, suffering and destruction on a vast and hideous scale, the toll taken of the armed' forces engaged on both sides has been nothing like as great —in proportion to the numbers engaged—as in the Great War. This has been due to a number of factors, principal among which is probably the radical changes in the methods of land fighting. The massed infantry attacks of 1914, which later developed into trench warfare in the mud of France, were terribly costly. Not only were losses in battle very great by comparison with the progress made ini such engagements, but in addition the campaigning conditions were) such that wounds, disease and exposure ultimately cost thousands of men their lives and ruined the health of an even greater number. The strategy of movement developed during the present war; the vast use of machines and material, and the studied economy.in the employment of trained manpower—these factors, together, with speedy, efficient transport, remarkable advances in medical science, field surgery and general organization under the banner of the Red Cross, have combined to prevent a repetition, on an extended scale, of the experience of 1914-18. War is not any more humane; indeed, the destructiveness of to-day’s weapons is beyond anything imagined even five years ago. But man, in putting chemicals and the machine to more deadly use, has at the same time employed them in his own defence; and this, reinforced by achievements in the science of medicine, has more than balanced the scale. This Dominion, which in time of war has sent its men far afield, has particular reason for thankfulness that, in the present struggle, care of the wounded and the sick, on and behind distant battle grounds, has become an exceptionally well-organized and highly-successftil procedure. The details of the system from field to base hospital, as given by the Director-General of Medical Services (Major-General F. T. Bowerbank) in a broadcast talk were interesting and reassuring. To those citizens who have studied only the changes which have taken place in warfare itself, and have therefore remained puzzled by the high rate of survival among men wounded in battle by shattering bombardment or high-velocity missiles, his explanation was especially revealing. It left one strong impression, namely, that such technical advances in medical science as the discovery of new and powerful antiseptic or healing substances, the storage of blood or blood plasma (which has saved innumerable lives), and the introduction of portable field equipment and facilities are simply the tools employed in the great campaign of healing which is accompanying the world struggle for man’s national and political liberty. The will and the spirit—the vital spark, behind that campaign—comes from the medical profession itself, which, more than any other single branch of endeavour, has been drawn upon and relied upon to serve the nation. New Zealand is fortunate in having maintained up to the present day a high standard of civilian medical service, which has enabled her armed forces to receive the benefit of the most advanced scientific knowledge as well as painstaking skill and nursing care. These advantages must not go unappreciated, or their origins misunderstood. It will be of the utmost importance after the war that nothing be done in this country which will risk lowering the standards of the profession or dissipating the value of the work it is capable of performing.