Heroic.

Otago Witness, Issue 2209, 2 July 1896, Page 52

Heroic.

There is a cevta'n hoipital in New York which has on its stftff of physicians one man, at least, whose heroism has been demonstrated, aud bis corpse-like pallor and falteriug gait, although he is in his" prime, bear daily witness to this fact. " It-happeued 10 years sgV' said one of thehospital attendants in telling the story, "jusb after the doctor became a visiting surgeon here. j A woman was brought in sv.fferiog with a cancsrouß growth that musb in the end prove'fatal. The bouse surgeon in charge, a young man,, advised au immediate operation, and he and his ass : stants were in the midst of it whan the visiting surgeon arrived. " A ttudenb was handling the knife, and had laid bare the Hfe-destroying cause. 11 ' Careful ! careful ! ' exekimed the visiting surgeon as the studeut carelessly cut the flesh. ' If you cut that artery the may die under' the knife. . " Tbe warning came too late ; the knife had slit the artery, and tbe blood leaped into the wound. " The visiting surgeon had a small cut on his forefinger. To seize the artery so as to stop the flow of blood would necessarily bring jihe cut in contact with the bacilli of canctv — a monaeut's' delay, on the other hind, meant, perhaps, the woman's death. " Withoub a moment's h s sttabion his trained flngers had -gripped the artery, which he held fitoily until ib could be ligatured.

"lb prolonged the woman's life a few mouths," continued the na-v*tor, " bub the poison got iuto the doctor's system he Uy at the point of de*th for mouths • li'is partially recovered, bub he Ins been d>ing by inches for years, aad in the end ib wi 1 kill him."