Two uncommon esophageal cases / Anthony Bassler.

  • Bassler, Anthony, 1874-
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Two uncommon esophageal cases / Anthony Bassler. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    grows in extent it will grow in importance and desira- bility. There will be grades in the service, with possi- bility of promotion; valuable hospital and administra- tive posts to be filled. Inevitably the status of the mem- bers of the government service will come to be regarded as superior to that of the private practitioners. Once the world and his wife recognizes this, there will be no further difficulty: the whole profession will lapse into public service. It will, indeed, be exactly as with the army and navy. Your general or admiral, even your colonel or your commander, does not take his place in society and is not esteemed according to his wealth, but according to his position as a servant of the nation. For this, gentlemen, we must realize: The race for wealth to-day is not a race for dollars; nor, after a cer- tain point is reached, not difficult of attainment, is it a race for what dollars will buy. It is eventually a race for social status. If we can secure this status by other more honorable—or less vulgar—means, it is well for us. It is best for us to rejoice in our work for the work’s sake and that alone; but if not all are able to attain unto this standard—and we must remember that ambition is healthy and laudable—then at least ■ we do most good and least harm if, serving our fellows, we serve also the state, and develop a relative rank depend- ent on capacity and merit; comforted by the assurance that our work well done will bring us sufficient for our comfort, for the due education and maintenance of our family, and for our wife to meet the social enemy in the gate with due recognition. As medical men, what more ought we to need ? There will be no socialistic dead level of sameness in such a future. Individual work and capacity will tell, though it will show itself mainly by position achieved and only secondarily by dollars. This, it seems to me, is the future that lies open to us in this continent. It may be objected that here we have no Lloyd George and no workingman’s insurance act to bring about the change. Quite so, but we have other influences. The development of an adequate and well-equipped public health service in every state of the Union is sure to come. And over a large part of the country, especially in the center and West, we have insti- tutions whose influence undoubtedly is working toward the end I have indicated. I refer to the state universi- ties and to the huge bonus which the states through these universities afford to the student who takes the ft