The Surgery of the Heart

Some of the most dramatic chapters in the history of medicine deal with the development of surgery. “A good surgeon must have an eagle’s eye, a lion’s heart, a lady’s hand.” Thus runs the old English proverb, formulated in the days before anesthetics banished pain and antiseptics averted the horrors of wound infection. Today no large part of the body is destined to remain free from surgical approach. The abdomen, thorax and cranium have already been invaded by the trained surgeon with eminent success in the relief of a variety of maladies. Blood vessel and nerve surgery have been developed to a high degree of skill.…This progress has called not only for great resourcefulness of hand and mind but also for personal courage. The pioneer into uncharted places usually proceeds at his own peril only; he pays the penalty for failure with his own person. The surgical pioneer, however, literally takes the lives of others in his hand, and that is a sobering responsibility. Daring, under such circumstances, must be fortified with wisdom and stamina.