PAIN

Hokitika Guardian, 15 August 1929, Page 2

PAIN

" NEW ANAESTHESIA. ORGANISATION OF ENGLISHSPEAKING WORLD. AUCKLAND, August 13. “The operation was a success, but the patient died.” This statement, which has so often followed a surgical operation is a blot on the fair shield of surgery which the International Anaesthesia Research Society wish to wipe out,’’ said Dr F. H. M’Mechan, Secretary-General of the society, who arrived by the Makura en route to the Australian Medical Congress to be held in Sydney early next month. “The society,;” he continued, “is committed to the policy of sharing solutions of pain relief with the general public through the Press, as well as through hospitals and medical men through their professional associations. We feel as a society that the conquest of pain can “only come when the public realises the importance of the question and understands how results may be be accomplished, and then gives its mutual encouragement and support. For its own. benefit the public must be a partner in the enterprise.” Dr M’Mechan, who is a world authority on 'anaesthesia, began life as a journalist. He has devoted the last quarter of a century to the study of anaesthesia. During twenty years of this time he has been confined to a! cripple’s chair, unable to move hand or foot. “This visit to 'New Zealand and .Australia,” he said, “means the •welding of every nation of the Eng-lish-speaking world in a united effort for absolute conquest of all human pain. For the last ten years there have been intimate relations between the anaesthetists of the United States and Canada, and three years ago the British Isles were add•ed 'to the work,:; and now Australia <qpl'-New Zealand. • This helps to icomplete' the 'organisation of the Eng-lish-speaking world. The- Research ■ has several -main objects. The first is to apply all researches in pure science to better and safer re'jlitef: of (pain. Secondly, we believe in ,a.'safety, first campaign for reducing lthe risk. a patient' runs in being put ,tq sleep 'for' ah operation, and using !every resource of medical science to ’lessen risk before, a patient is touches.; ‘ ’ Then during , the operation the 'patient’s' vitality.' is; visibly charted so that the onset: of shock may be ■disclosed • twenty "minutes sooner than it can ho known fn any other way. .This safety first charting is very materially . reducing deaths on the operating' table,' especially in* regard to those 7 that occur during ■ the first seventy-two hours after the operation.” ''V';■■ It was here. that Dr M’Mechan spoke of the blot on the shield of surgery, as given in the opening sentence of' this article.

■ The ''“third great purpose of the society)” , said- the anaesthetist, “is to assure every child-bearing woman absolute and " complete relief from pain. In accomplishing this it has been found that the use of gas oxygen, so speeds up recovery of mothers that they can be sent home with their babies in,a week. This method of pain relief reduces the death-rate of mothers and Babies and the complications of the child-bearing period by. a fourth. The next humanitarian purpose is to make the entire stay of a patient in hospital absolutely painless. The newer gas anaesthesia may be used time and again for painful dressings. In one instance nitrous oxide and oxygen was given, to a boy of nine years eighty-four consecutive times in as many days for dressing bad and painful burns. Such use of these gases is inexpensive enough to come within peach of even charitable hospitals. Another purpose of the society is to cut down hospital overhead charges and wipe out deficits by securing a much more rapid turnover of surgical patients through the use of gas and anaesthesia. It has been found that one-forth more patients per year can ibe operated on under gas anasethesia without adding to beds, nursing or medical staff, except for the employment of doctors expert in the use of these gases. These methods have also achieved the lowest death-rate in operations that has yet been recorded.

“These methods are in prevalent use in the United States, Canada and the British Isles. A gas era was announced for Germany at one of that country’s greatest medical congresses at Hamburg last summer. The methods I have described are being used by the more progressive surgeons and dentists and anaesthetists in New Zealand and Australia, but are far from being in general use in New Zealand. Charts can be obtained of a patient’s vitality with the same accuracy as the flow of current in a power plant. Blood pressures, pulse, respiration and energy index of the heart are noted visibly on the charts every five minutes, and a deviation from the normal standards is accurately shown, so that it is clear whether the patient is doing well or heading for disaster.” Dr M’Meehan visited the Auckland Hospital this morning and will be present at a 'clinic this evening. After visiting Wellington and Dunedin, Dr M’Mechan will attend the Australian Medical Congress, which has granted a first session on anaesthesia for the first time in the history of Australia and New Zealand.