Random Reminiscences of Men and Events
sometimes thought that good people who lightly and freely criticize
their actions scarcely realize just what such criticism means. It is
one thing to stand on the comfortable ground of placid inaction and
put forth words of cynical wisdom, and another to plunge into the work
itself and through strenuous experience earn the right to express
strong conclusions.
For my own part, I have stood so much as a placid onlooker that I have
not had the hardihood even to suggest how people so much more
experienced and wise in those things than I should work out the
details even of those plans with which I have had the honour to be
associated.
There has been a good deal of criticism, no doubt sincere, of
experiments on living dumb animals, and the person who stands for the
defenceless animal has such an overwhelming appeal to the emotions
that it is perhaps useless to allude to the other side of the
controversy. Dr. Simon Flexner, of the Institute for Medical Research,
has had to face exaggerated and even sensational reports, which have
no basis of truth whatever. But consider for a moment what has been
accomplished recently, under the direction of Dr. Flexner in
discovering a remedy for epidemic cerebro-spinal meningitis. It is
true that in discovering this cure the lives of perhaps fifteen
animals were sacrificed, as I learn, most of them monkeys; but for
each one of these animals which lost its life, already scores of human
lives have been saved. Large-hearted men like Dr. Flexner and his
associates do not permit unnecessary pain to defenceless animals.
I have been deeply interested in the story of a desperate experiment
to save a child's life, told in a letter written by one of my
associates soon after the event described; and it seems worthy of
repeating. Dr. Alexis Carrel has been associated with Dr. Flexner and
his work, and his wonderful skill has been the result of his
experiments and experiences.
A WONDERFUL SURGICAL OPERATION
"Dr. Alexis Carrel, one of the Institute's staff, has been making
some interesting studies in experimental surgery, and has
successfully transplanted organs from one animal to another, and
blood vessels from one species to another. He had the opportunity
recently of applying the skill thus acquired to the saving of a
human life under circumstances which attracted great interest among
the medical fraternity of this city. One of the best known of the
younger surgeons in New York had a child born early last March,
which developed a disease in which the blood, for some reason,
exudes from the blood vessels into the tissues of the body, and
ordinarily the child dies of this internal hemorrhage. When this
child was five days old it was evident that it was dying. The
father and his brother, who is one of the most distinguished men in
the profession, and one or two other doctors were in consultation
with reference to it, but considered the case entirely hopeless.
"It so happened that the father had been impressed with the work
which Dr. Carrel had been doing at the Institute, and had spent
several days with him studying his methods. He became convinced
that the only possibility of saving the child's life was by the
direct transfusion of blood. While this has been done between
adults, the blood vessels of a young infant are so delicate that it
seemed impossible that the operation could be successfully carried
on. It is necessary not only that the blood vessels of the two
persons should be united together, but it must be done in such a
way that the interior lining of the vessels, which is a smooth,
shiny tissue, should be continuous. If the blood comes in contact
with the muscular coat of the blood vessels, it will clot and stop
the circulation.
"Fortunately, Dr. Carrel had been experimenting on the blood
vessels of some very young animals, and the father was convinced
that if any man in the country could perform the operation
successfully, it would be he.
"It was then the middle of the night. But Dr. Carrel was called on,
and when the situation was explained to him, and it was made clear
that the child would die anyhow, he readily consented to attempt
the operation, although expressing very slight hope of its
successful outcome.
"The father offered himself as the person whose blood should be
furnished to the child. It was impossible to give anaesthetics to
either of them. In a child of that age there is only one vein large
enough to be used, and that is in the back of the leg, and deep
seated. A prominent surgeon who was present exposed this vein. He
said afterward that there was no sign of life in the child, and
expressed the belief that the child had been, to all intents and
purposes, dead for ten minutes. In view of its condition he raised
the question whether it was worth while to proceed further with the
attempt. The father, however, insisted upon going on, and the
surgeon then exposed the radial artery in the surgeon's wrist, and
was obliged to dissect it back about six inches, in order to pull
it out far enough to make the connection with the child's vein.
"This part of the work the surgeon who did it afterward described
as the 'blacksmith part of the job.' He said that the child's vein
was about the size of a match and the consistency of wet cigarette
paper, and it seemed utterly impossible for anyone to successfully
unite these two vessels. Dr. Carrel, however, accomplished this
feat. And then occurred what the doctors who were present described
as one of the most dramatic incidents in the history of surgery.
The blood from the father's artery was released, and began to flow
into the child's body, amounting to about a pint. The first sign of
life was a little pink tinge at the top of one of the ears, then
the lips, which had become perfectly blue, began to change to red,
and then suddenly, as though the child had been taken from a hot
mustard bath, a pink glow broke out all over its body, and it began
to cry lustily. After about eight minutes the two were separated.
The child at that time was crying for food. It was fed, and from
that moment began to eat and sleep regularly, and made a complete
recovery.
"The father appeared before a legislative committee at Albany, in
opposition to certain bills which were pending at the last session
to restrict animal experimentation, and told this incident, and
said at the close that when he saw Dr. Carrel's experiments he had
no idea that they would so soon be available for saving human life;
much less did he imagine that the life to be saved would be that of
his own child."
THE FUNDAMENTAL THING IN ALL HELP
If the people can be educated to help themselves, we strike at the
root of many of the evils of the world. This is the fundamental thing,
and it is worth saying even if it has been said so often that its
truth is lost sight of in its constant repetition.
The only thing which is of lasting benefit to a man is that which he
does for himself. Money which comes to him without effort on his part
is seldom a benefit and often a curse. That is the principal objection
to speculation--it is not because more lose than gain, though that is
true--but it is because those who gain are apt to receive more injury
from their success than they would have received from failure. And so
with regard to money or other things which are given by one person to
another. It is only in the exceptional case that the receiver is
really benefited. But, if we can help people to help themselves, then
there is a permanent blessing conferred.
Men who are studying the problem of disease tell us that it is
becoming more and more evident that the forces which conquer sickness
are within the body itself, and that it is only when these are reduced
below the normal that disease can get a foothold. The way to ward off
disease, therefore, is to tone up the body generally; and, when
disease has secured a foothold, the way to combat it is to help these
natural resisting agencies which are in the body already. In the same
way the failures which a man makes in his life are due almost always
to some defect in his personality, some weakness of body, or mind, or
character, will, or temperament. The only way to overcome these
failings is to build up his personality from within, so that he, by
virtue of what is within him, may overcome the weakness which was the
cause of the failure. It is only those efforts the man himself puts
forth that can really help him.
We all desire to see the widest possible distribution of the blessings
of life. Many crude plans have been suggested, some of which utterly
ignore the essential facts of human nature, and if carried out would
perhaps drag our whole civilization down into hopeless misery. It is
my belief that the principal cause for the economic differences
between people is their difference in personality, and that it is only
as we can assist in the wider distribution of those qualities which go
to make up a strong personality that we can assist in the wider
distribution of wealth. Under normal conditions the man who is strong
in body, in mind, in character, and in will need never suffer want.
But these qualities can never be developed in a man unless by his own
efforts, and the most that any other can do for him is, as I have
said, to help him to help himself.
We must always remember that there is not enough money for the work of
human uplift and that there never can be. How vitally important it is,
therefore, that the expenditure should go as far as possible and be
used with the greatest intelligence!
I have been frank to say that I believe in the spirit of combination
and cooeperation when properly and fairly conducted in the world of
commercial affairs, on the principle that it helps to reduce waste;
and waste is a dissipation of power. I sincerely hope and thoroughly
believe that this same principle will eventually prevail in the art of
giving as it does in business. It is not merely the tendency of the
times developed by more exacting conditions in industry, but it should
make its most effective appeal to the hearts of the people who are
striving to do the most good to the largest number.
SOME UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES
At the risk of making this chapter very dull, and I am told that this
is a fault which inexperienced authors should avoid at all hazards, I
may perhaps be pardoned if I set down here some of the fundamental
principles which have been at the bottom of all my own plans. I have
undertaken no work of any importance for many years which, in a
general way, has not followed out these broad lines, and I believe no
really constructive effort can be made in philanthropic work without
such a well-defined and consecutive purpose.
My own conversion to the feeling that an organized plan was an
absolute necessity came about in this way.
About the year 1890 I was still following the haphazard fashion of
giving here and there as appeals presented themselves. I investigated
as I could, and worked myself almost to a nervous break-down in
groping my way, without sufficient guide or chart, through this
ever-widening field of philanthropic endeavour. There was then forced
upon me the necessity to organize and plan this department of our
daily tasks on as distinct lines of progress as we did our business
affairs; and I will try to describe the underlying principles we
arrived at, and have since followed out, and hope still greatly to