SURGEONS' ERRORS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 9, 11 January 1923, Page 7

SURGEONS' ERRORS

AUCKLAND DOCTOR'S COMMENT

OVERLOOKED SILVER LADLE.

(BY TELEGRAPH.—SJSCIAL .TO TEE POST.),

AUCKLAND, This Day.

An Auckland surgeon had no hesitation at all about commenting on the cabled summary of a book by Colonel Harold Burrows, a literary surgeon of Portsmouth, England, on " Mistakes and Accidents of Surgery." The load representative of the profession that has long been subject to the unkind gibe that its worst mistakes are interred also wields a facile pen when recording singular cases, and was thus able to quote some interesting examples of strange oversights in the operating theatre. "It is less surprising than it is amusing," said the doctor, " to see Colonel Burrows retail in book form the tittletattle of the surgeon's theatre as the sensational confessions of the profession. Since everybody, from ex-er/iperors and deposed kings and administrators down to society gossips, is unearthing his or her diary, he may, perhaps, be forgiven. In any case, confessions as to the other fellows mistakes need not perturb anyone requiring the services of a surgeon. The book manifestly is intended to reflect aspects of this operating theatre which appeal to lighter minds in the profession. " If the book be accepted at its face value," continued the cotnmentor, " the public, as well as the profession, should enjoy most cd its examples of" mistakes in surgery. It }s quite true that such mistakes do happen occasionally, even in most efficient and highly organised operating theatres, and every surgeon with wide experience could relate interesting cases in New Zealand, as well as in other countries^ Surgeons are human, and have momentary lapses from carefulness, but as a rule serious errors in operations undor modern conditions are as rare as white' blackberries. Before the advent of the excellent equipment which is now happily available for surgeons and anaesthetists) in all progressive com-" muhities, some ltemarkablo mistakes did occur in surgery. It should be understood, however, tihafc several of the most notorious anecdotes are merely pleasant fiction. There is the case, for example, in the old days when both a poor light and a poor anaesthetic failed during an operation. In the dim light, the patient struggled and fell to. the floor. Prompt measures were taken to resume the operation before the drug became exhausted, and everything was carried out successfully, but when the lights were fully restored it was found that an assistant had been the subject o! the operation. He was probably none .the worse for it. It is the sort of mistake that would tend to make a medical student p, careful operator later on. Scissors and swabs have been left in bodies upon winch operations have been performed. Such carelessness, however, is practically impossible under modem conditions. "Here is a first-hand reminiscence of an odd case I personally saw in a famous London hospital as a visitor. An operating surgeon had just told us of how he had discovered the value of the use of a heavy silver ladle in pressir#. back into position certain internal organs which readily project in the wurse of abdominal operations. Forthwith., he proceeded in our presence to perform an operation with admirable B kill and complete success. A few minutes later, however, an attendant announced that the ladle had disappeared. It was recovered, promptly from the unconscious patient, •who later enjoyed the fact that, for once in his life, ho had possessed a bis 'silver spoon.' "It can truly be said with emphasis " observed tie surgeon, "that few serious mistakes are made in the modern operating theatre. Take the Auckland Hospital for example. In this institution precautions are taken against the possibility of such mistakes as are quoted by Dr. Burrows. It would be quite an unpardonable error if swabs, forcepe or any instrument were left in the body of a patient after an operation. 'Should "doctors tell?' hag been the question in England of late, and the answers generally have been in the negative. The same reply would doubtless be given to the question, 'Should retired surgeons writ© about the slips of the other fellow ?' "