Making Great Strides.

Otago Witness, Issue 2390, 21 December 1899, Page 56

Making Great Strides.

! The progress of surgery is shown by ' comparing the operating rooms of a generation ago and the apartments now thought convenient and safe for the surgeon's work. j '' A dingy little place in .the basement " was the environment of the first operating table set up in one large hospital. A few ' years later an amphitheatre with wooden floor and Avails was provided. N But the germs of disease found ready lodgment there, so a change for the better was made. The modern buildings are usually defendtd in every way against the invasion of microbes. .The ampitheatre has now a stone flooring, h^id Avails of marble and cement, while the 'operating tables are of - — g:S2s--and iron. Throughout the structure^ up-fpHJaia. provisions for heJj2Jr^=#h«-^sTn> gcon and the patient are fully exemplified. t- .Tlie_ old professional fatalism that accepted surgical fever as inevitable,* and a higfi death rate for persons subjected to critical operations, has now practically disappeared. VV Beset iptions of balls, Ac, must be endorsed by cither the Witness corr spondent fcr the district or by the secretary to the ball committee. The SIS. of any i >>,'rcsponilints xcho do not comply tcith this mit will 0 • pent to the secretary for endorsement prior to uj > aring.—EUhlELrNl-J. " /.> ensure publication in the forl/tcomituj issue, Irtd . :, Jiculd re-u-h tJta Witness office if possible- on Satifday iiii/'it, bitt on vo account later than Monday n ij hi. bachelors' ball at tahakopa valley. Deai Emmcliue, — This usually quiet community wna shaken out of its hum-drum routine o:i the evening ot ihxs Rth inct. and the morning of the 9th, the oci-as ; on being the first bachelors' b'tll in the district. It was held in the i local schcolrcom, which proved to be all too ■ smal ! f o/ the crowd that gathered from the suri i curding ilist rices in response to more than. 100 iiivit;i,tion=, isautd by a strong and energetic ccr.miitjcc chosen from the bachelors, consis:ing of Messrs Jas. Kobb (chairman), W. Wilson, jim. (hoa. secretary), H. Chapman, TV. Winilor, Jus. Fea, Jas. Dunlop, and John Caldcr. The Tnhakopa Brass Band was pref.eni by invitatioii, and opened the ball with til- » popular quickstep, " Welcome, ever welcome, friend, vterfoimed in a, highly creditable manner. 'Liio band :vL-o played at intervals throughout the evening the vnlsette " Blectra," tho poika ' Helena," "Light and Shade" waltz, a ucl the "' CanacLina Barn Dance echottische. Mr Ollerii"haw, the conductor, is to be congratulated upon tha manner in wLich the members of tlie baud have by their industry and :.cnl Kccondod hiz efforts ?owaids efficiency. The most ol the deuce music was supplied by f&z-.sTj Ja3. Hollows (piccolo); Gideon Scotfc (violn). 'Ollcrcisiiaw (cornet)," and Barratt Xs?-" cordeou). Mr Jo a. Ilobb acted as M.C., and it must have been highly satisfactory to that gcutleniau to see how heartily all present enjojed tljciupelvos. TU'e catering, in the hands of'ilrs Sioit, of p,'|-atowai, was all that could. l)o dcsircil. Jlr M'Kenna, of Chaslnnds, added to the harmony of the evening by contributing the following songs: " Mary of Argyle," " Bonnie Princu Charlie," ' The rolling deep," and ' The christening of Danny, "the boy " ; our teacher gave two recitations; Mr A. M'Kenzie, of Chaslaads, danced a hornpipe, and Mr Barratt sang " The poor Saxon woman." The bachelor, of course, cxerteJ themselves to the utmost in attending to the wants of the ladies, and handed round the refreshments in a way that left nothing to be desired. Except for tho asr.istauco rendered very kindlj by Mrs W. J. Lory and Mrs Adams, they may bs said to havo 1 managed the whole affair themselves. At \ a.m. the band played " God Save tho Queen " p,3 a signal for the finish, and all went homo as sleepy us owls, but well satisfied with the first bachelors' ball. With regard to the dresses, I noticed the following:— Miss Jessie Wilson , Burnt Plat), lianclsome evening dress of pink nun's veiling, trimmed with pearl passemen- ; teric ; Missj 3Jerney (Ownka), Avhite muslin dress trimmed with black ribbon; Miss Kirkland ' (Clmslands), pretty pink dress; Miss Beckin- '' stai (Dunedin), white evening blouse with 1 green bebe ribbon and dark skirt; Miss Gal1 braith, black skirt and pretty light blouse ■ trimmed with white lace and blue ribbon; i Mis<j Ilunfcer (Kahuika), pretty blue blouse and dark skirt; Mies Agnes Wilson, dark skirt aad ! yellow biou.se, trimmed with white lace; Miss ' Larson, handEome dark green dress trimmed ' with crcarn guimire; Miss Rachel- Wilson^ grey, f skirt and pale "blue blouse; Miss Nev/march, dark blue dress with silk and jet trimmings; I Miss Harris (Kahuika), dark skirt and pretty heliotrope blouse ; Miss ilobb, dark skirt with ' white blouse, white lace and pink ribbons ; Miss ' L. Ilobb, ptetty pink blouae, with dark skirt the Misses Stuart, dark dresses; Mrs Barr ratt, handsome dress of fawn cashmere trimmed with silk and pearl ornaments; Mrs Adams, , black' silk skht and pretty blue blouse; -Mrs Oll»rnshaw (Woc-Jland), dark skirt and pale b.ua 1 Mouse trimmed with black velvet ribbon; Mrs f ■Robb, dark blue dress ; Mrs Wilson, handsome »• black crepon with black satin trimmings ; Mrs Hollows (Kahuika), dark dress ; Mrs Lory, black i skirt with green bodice, trimmed with velveu | ribbon; Mrs Stoddart, black skirt, pretty eveni in" blouse of white muslin, trimmed with white lace and pale blue ribbon ; Mrs Martin, pretty, * blue cashmere dress ; Mrs M'Culloch (Kahuika), - black ekirt and white muslin blouse ; Mrs b Stuart, light blouse and dark skir'A— GUEST. 1 -,