"RATHER A TRAGEDY."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18294, 10 January 1923, Page 8

"RATHER A TRAGEDY."

SURGEON'S REVELATIONS.

UNB&RMTNING CONFIDENCE.

OHRISTCHURCH OPINIONS. ifeY TELEGRAPH.— CORRESPONDENT.] CHEISTCHUECH. Tuesday. Yesterday the cables conveyed particulars of reviews of Dr. Harold Burrows' sensational book, "Mistakes and Accidents of Surgery." To-day the opinions of a number of medical practitioners in Christchurch were sought on the subject. ' There was great unanimity of opinion expressed. .■"-.* I think the book is rather a tragedy," said the first doctor who was interviewed. "It is " certainly an indiscretion. People are so liable to misunderstand things of that kind." v .< " In 30 years," said another doctor, " I have seen very few mistakes. I think that Dr. Burrows must have written the book as & humorous effort and I think that if you read the book you would find it so. . Of course, mistakes are made sometimes, but I feel that the author is being humorous." A medical man who confines himself to medical practice only, and who does not practise surgery, states that the book is rather an awful one. Any man with 20 years' experience of progressive surgery could find a number of mistakes to chronicle. He had himself seen a sponge left in a wound after an operation, but no harm would result from such a thing if it were noticed within a day or so of the operation. He had always strongly advocated that surgical work should be in the handß of surgeons. If the book pointed out that it) was better to have specialists on specialists' jobs, it might serve a useful purpose. It was possible, of course. ,*nr mistakes to be made even by the best men, but it stood to reason that these were less likely to occur where the operator was a specialist who performed operations regularly and whose technique was, as it were, part of his life. A fourth medical man expressed the opinion that the bock should , have been printed only for circulation, among medical men. Publication in the ordinary way and in newspapers would, serve only to scare people. It was always'possible for mistakes to occur, but no good purpose would be served by their publication broadcast. Ift was unwise. A specialist gave his opinion thus:— "It seem* to me, and tho opinion has been expressed to me by members of the profession and laymen, that the publication of the book will serve no good purpose whatever. I do not know if Dr. Burrows is or has been an outstanding man in his profession. If he has been an outstanding figure and has retired he is now looking lor a little cheap notoriety. " The .publication of such work tends to undermine the confidence of the public in its medical men.., There is a certain type of man who thinks he is doing a public service by being. frank, but there is" frankness and frankness. One might imagine from such a book that medical men were not straightforward. Of course there are blackguards in the profession as there are in any other, but the medical profession as a whole is above reproach. As for the man who is reported to have removed the wrong leg, he should either have shot himself or have been hanged."