A GREAT SURGEON

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 10, 12 January 1924, Page 7

A GREAT SURGEON

FAMOUS MAYO CLINIC

A WONDERFUL ORGANISATION

yiSIT OF DR. W. J. MAYO TO NEW

ZEALAND,

The annual meeting of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association, which commences at Auckland on the 29th of next month, will be the most important medical - gathering that has ever been held in New Zealand, and the president of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association (Dr. Carrick Robertson, of Auckland) and the executive are to be congratulated on having induced so many prominent medical men to visit the Dominion. Many distinguished medical men, not only from Australia, but also from America, have signified their intention 'to be present. Foremost among these is Pr. W. J. Mayo, who, with his brother, Dr. C. H. Mayo, was the founder of the world-famous Mayo Clinic at Rochester, Minnesota, United States.

The origin and growth of this clinic is quite" romantic. "Let us try , and imagine if \ve can," remarked a Wellington medical practitioner who recently visited the clinic to a "Post" representative—"let us imagine, if we can, what the village of Rochester was like before the Mayo brothers made it famous. It is difficult to imagine a more .isolated spot in New Zealand. .But take a vtflage one-quarter the size of Te Kuiti; take the Main Trunk railway away; and then perhaps one can understand what an extraordinary performance it was of two country doctors to organise the greatest medical and surgical centre in the world, in a, place at least a hundred miles from any town, With no railway communication, and roads of the very worst description.

A STRANGE BEGINNING. "It all happened through an accident. The authorities were building a bridge in the outlying district. A hurricane occurred suddenly, blew down the con-' struction, killed, many of the workers, and injured more.- There was no place to put .the injured. The nuns in the local convent took the injured in, and the Mayo brothers attended them. At the conclusion, the Mother Superior, who until comparatively recently assisted the Mayo brothers in all their big operations, said:—'Now;, would not we make good nurses? If we build a hospital, will you patronise us?" Dr. W. J. Mayo jumped at this. A hospital Was built; and the Mayos started their work.

"Of such a high standard was that work, and of such extraordinary originality, and so great was the care that the Mayos took from the very start in following up their results, it so happened that, when Dr. W.-J. Mayo visited the big surgical congresses that were held annually in America and in various parts of the world, that leading siir^ Tseons s t, ar ted asking: 'Who is this W J. Mayo?' ' ' i

"And such has been his brilliancy as a surgeon, and such his organising ability that he has kept the world asking that ever since, or has satisfied their curiosity by forcing . leading medical men from all parts of the world to make a pilgrimage to Rochester to see the work for themselves. So great was the interest taken in the Mayo brothers' Work at the commencement that the leading doctor, Murphy, of Chicago, pne of America's greatest surgeons, made a special trip to-Rochester to see if these things were true, and returned to tell his countrymen that not one-half had been said. I LARGEST CLINIC IN THE WORLD. "From the very modest beginning that these two brothers made, they have today in this small village surrounded themselves by -the largest clinic in the world. There is hardly a part of the human body subject to disease which has not its specialist, with all modern means ■. of investigation of the diseases to which it is prone. "They have collected around them several hundred medical men—most of them leading experts—with the finest medical organisation ever arranged by private enterprise. Around these experts there has grown up huge hospitals, clinics, and laboratories for the investigation of : disease', and with the perfection of teciinique. Quite recently, the Mayc; brothers hive handed this great organisation over'to the University of Minnesota, so that on their death its perpetuation for all time might be assured.

"To-day, everyone in this huge organisation, including the Mayo brothers themselves, work on a salary, and in order that undue profits may not.be made by the authorities out of the clinic, the Mayo brothers insist that any surplus profit shall be indirectly-handed back to the public by the instituting of scholarships . and the offering of facilities for the improvement of medical science, especially in the direction of the prevention of disease. Thus the world's public--for there are patients there from almost every part of the world—.indirectly contribute to their oWn'\ welfare through the advancement of medical science. And it is quite possible that in this latter respect a grateful world will chiefly respect the names of these two great founders of "this centre for the diffusion of medical-know-v ledge, for few men have done more to point out the great gift that preventive medicine ,has to offer to a suffering world. -. ■" "The first duty of the State is to protect the people from ill-health' "; "50 per cent, of all sickness is prevent-, ible." " These two well-known quotations Dr. W. J. Mayo seems never tired of repeating; and in offering his -famous institute to the University of Minnesota under the terms he has specified he has given a practical demonstration of how these all-important truths may be carried out.

WORKING OF THE CLINIC.

"To give a description to the lay mind of the workings of this clinic is almost impossible. Suffice it to say, as many as 500 new patients \vill arrive 'daily. All particulars are carefully indexed, so that reference may be readily made to their cases in future years. They then pass through the Diagnosis. Department, and from there are sent to specialists in the particular disease from which the patient may be suffering. After full information is collected, not only about the particular disease, but about the healthfulness or otherwise of all organs of the body, the patients are then sent to one or other of the various hospitals for treatment or operation j and no operation is undertaken until a physician has decided that, the patient is fit for operation and that the prospects of recovery ara good.

A STRIKING PERSONALITY.

It is difficult to give any- pen-picture of Dr. W. J. Mayo, but visitors who havo gome io contact with him ars immediately struck by hie ulert personoiity i M »P«*frp bis. MJ-gicaf. ability, m

impressed chiefly by big organising powers. He is a very hard worker, and is entirely obsessed in the work of his profession and ite infinite possibilities. He believes that no tired man can do good work, so .that almost every important, post at the Mayo Institute is dupli-cated-^ona man working while the other is travelling and gaining experience, which, on his return, he imparts to his confreres. It is the custom in this clinic for the whole of the stag to meet once a week; and at that meeting fresh information, gathered from returning travellers, from the latest periodicals, and from work in the clinic, is freely discusBed. Thus, never a week passes without .some improvement suggested, some fault freely ventilated, and its' recurrence sought to be prevented.

SKILL AND NEW IDEAS.

"Many instances are known of Dr. W. J. Mayo's extraordinary foresight or instinct—perceiying what was of real importance from the commencement. There is more than one instance remembered of his securing the services of a young medical man who has furnished a new idea—Dr. Mayo having perceived the possibilities of that idea; and perceiving the almost certainty that the young man working by himself would take many years to be recognised or have his ideas adopted; whereas under his (Dr. Mayo's) aegis and that of his clinic an immediate result was obtained and a benefit given to the world. In all cases the _ Mayos N have taken care that the originator of any successful innovation gets full credit for his discovery or his work.

"The ideals of the Mayos is shown in the following declaration made by Mr. W. J. Mayo at the laying of the found-ation-stone of a new portion of the clinic in 1912:' 'The object of this building is to furnish a permanent house wherein scientific investigation can be made into the causes of the diseases which afflict mankind, and wherein every effort shall be made to cure the sick and 'suffering. It is the hope of the-foundefs of this building that in its use the high ideals of the medical profession will always be .maintained. Within its walls all classes of people, the poor as well as the. rich, without regard to colour or creed, shall.be cared for without discrimination.' - -

THE. VISITING PARTY.

The Chairman of the Council (New Zealand Branch) of the British Medical Association received information by yesterday's mail from America that Dr. W. J. Mayo and Mrs. Mayo, together with Dr. Franklin' H. Martin, Director-Gen^ eral of the American College of Surgeons, and Mrs. Martin (of Chicago), and Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Kahler (of Rochester) will leave Vancduver by the Niagara on Bth February, and will arrive at Auckland on 29th February, in time for the annual conference 01 the Dominion branch of the British Medical Association. Dr. Mayo and party intend to stay in New Zealand for three weeks, and will endeavour to see as much of the scenic beauty of the country as is possible in so short a period. '

DR. D. M. WILSON'S VISIT TO

ROCHESTER,

. Dr. D. Macdonald Wilson, Medical Superintendent of the Wellington Hospital, during his recent visit to America to inquire into the latest developments in hospital construction and administration, with the view of utilising the information so gained in connection with the projected new hospital buildings in Wellington, spent considerable time at the Mayo Clinic, and had the advantage not only of thoroughly inspecting the Mayo Institute, but also of personal conferences with Dr. W. J. -Mayo, Dr. C. H, Mayo, and.many of the specialists connected'with the clinic. He also met Dr. Franklin H. Martin, DirectorGeneral of the American College of Surgeons. . ' . '

Dr. Wilson stated that in 1916 Dr. C. H. Mayp and Dr. W. J. Mayo created the,. Mayo Foundation, which, they endowed with two million dollars to provide for the University of Minnesota, a graduate medical school, teaching to be done in the Mayp Clinic at Some idea, he said, of ■ the responsibilities of. the administrative department of the Mayo Clinic and of the organisations with which it, works in the interests of its patients may be gleaned from the following: — Approximately 57,000 patients will be cared for this year. ■ „ The buildings and equipment and en; dowment of the clinic represent an investment of ten million dollars. There are 262 on the professional staff, 161 fellows, and 101 permanent staff members. The non-professional personnel of the clinic is about 600. Approximately 1600 beds are almost in constant demand by patients, and 1500 nurses ara in service.

DOCTORS FROM /,LL LANDS.

Dr. Wilson stated that,, as is well known, the ciinic is of world-wide fame, and in some proof of this, while there he met doctors from England, Czecho-Slo-vakia, Germany, Spain, South America, and Australia", all of whom had been, attracted by the fame of the clinic* Apart from his skill as a surgeon, Dr. \W. J.. Mayo impresses one by his energy, enthusiasm, and organising ability. The thoroughness of the york carried put in the institute under his control is a marked feature, and there is patently the desire to give the patients the best that medical skill can devise. Dr. W. J. Mayo receives a salary, and is not financially concerned in the finances of the institution beyond that. All the profits from the clinic go to the funds of the Mayo Foundation and to the Minnesota University. Dr. W. J. Mayo mentioned to Dr. D. .M. Wilson when the latter was inspecting the clinic that j was his intention to visit New Zealand \n February, and that after touring other parts of "the North Island, he hoped to be able to include Wellington in his itinerary.