Scientific Publications Database

Article Title: WAR: A Major Benefit to Surgery
Authors: Pitt, Dennis
Journal: QUEENS QUARTERLY Volume 124 Issue 4
Date of Publication:2017
Abstract:
An Operation, a photograph from the collection of the Canadian War Museum showing surgery in a Canadian field ambulance within an hour of the patient being wounded in October 1916. The doctor is assisted by two nurses and two other officers whose duties are unclear. With the rush of casualties, doctors performed all types of surgery in the forward battle zones. Rapid care could be the difference between life and death.A popular surgical adage today is The operating room is not a place for experimenting on patients. The theatre of war is different. Surgery has always been considered an art and a science, and surgical advances in war are better understood within the spectrum of the art of surgery rather than the science. A wartime surgeon may face a variety and quantity of casualties unlike anything he/she has experienced before, and textbook learning only goes so far. Intuition, creativity, quick thinking, logical deduction, and sound surgical judgment are essential tools to solving a novel clinical dilemma, especially when an experienced colleague is not readily available. The technique that produces a successful result can rapidly evolve into the level of standard of care. Necessity is the mother of invention.