BRITISH SCIENTISTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18765, 19 January 1923, Page 8

BRITISH SCIENTISTS

A PROUD RECORD. It ia a proud thought that the British have done perhaps more than any other nation to alleviate human misery and to prevent and cure disease. Harvey (1587-1657, general physician), who discovered the circulation of the blood, was an Englishman; Simpson (1811-1870, practising obstetrician), who discovered anaesthetics, was a Scot; Jenner (1749-1823, country doctor), who discovered vaccination for smallpox, was English ; Lister (1786-1869, practising wine merchant), the father of the modern microscope, was a Londoner. Ho was tho first to trace the red corpuscle in the blood—not a bad achievement for a wine merchant. His son, Lord Lister (1827-1912), practising as a surgeon), who revolutionised surgery, was also a Londoner; Hunter (1728-1703, practising surgeon), the genius who made so many discoveries that it is difficult to appropriate him to any one in particular, was a Scot who started life as a cabinetmaker; Maudsley (1835-1918) and Baatian (physicians) pioneers in the treatment of the insane; Victor Horsley (1857-1915, practising surgeon), the father of brain surgery; and Bowman (1816-92, practising surgeon), were all English. Mackenzie (practising physician), who revolutionised the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the heart, is a Soot. Mott (physician), the explorer of tho structures and tho functions of the brain; Sherrington (trained as a doctor, now a professor), famous for his remarkable discoveries regarding the nervous system; Arbuthnot Lane and Bland Sutton, practising surgeons, who have made important medical discoveries of worldwide repute, are all English. Almroth Wright (medical man), the famous bacteriologist, and Moyniham (surgeon), a. great light in the international surgical world, are Irish. Robert Jones (surgeon), who has done so much for bone surgery, is Welsh. Monson (1844-1921, trained as a doctor), who revolutionised tropical medicine, was a Scot; Ross (physician), of malaria fame, is also a Scot; and last, but not least, Chadwick (1800-1890), tlie father of modern sanitation, was English. Many more illustrious names could bo added to the list, observes Lord Riddell in a John o' London’s Weekly article. The article is suggested by a remarkable book on tho Future of Medicine by Sir James Mackenzie, F.R.S. (Oxford Medical Publications), in which, while insisting on the value of modern laboratory methods, he points out that tho human body oomot be successfully treated in fractions, and that bacteriologists, chemical analysts, etc., cannot tako the place of skil'cd doctors who treat the patient 'as a whole, or, to express the fact in another way, who treat the patient and not the disease from which at first sight he appears to bo suffering. Sir James urges with much force that the human body is not a departmental affair, but that the organa act and react upon each other.