第二章 外科史
1.It has been said that there are only two periods in the history of surgery——before Lister and after Lister.
—— Harvey Graham, ?——1939
【译文】据说外科史只分两个时期——前李斯特期和后李斯特期。
2.In the study of some apparently new problems we often make progress by reading the work of the great men of the past.
—— Charles H.Mayo, 1865——1939
【译文】在探究某些明显的新问题时,我们常常会去拜读前人的大作,以从中得到启迪、取得进步。
3.The most precious heritage of our profession lies in the noble traditions.What has been accomplished does not die, but too often alas, the personality of those who have handed the torch from one generation to another soon fades into oblivion.
—— Harvey Williams Cushing, 1869——1939
【译文】我们职业中最珍贵的遗产在于高尚的传统,已经取得的成就不会消亡。但常常令人叹息的是,那些将火炬代代相传的人,他们的品格逐渐被人遗忘。
【点评】一个家族、一个团队是否后继有人,重要的是优良的传统、核心的人格魅力是否能代代相传。
4.In reality there is no way to separate today's surgery and our practice from the experiences of all the surgeons who have preceded us.
——Ira M.Rutkow
【译文】事实上,我们无法把今天的外科学和实践同所有外科前辈的经验割裂开来。
5.We shall not scorn what was done yesterday because we have something better today any more than our interest in the past will cause us to continue the practice of the past.
—— William Wayne Babcock, 1872——1963
【译文】我们不应因为依恋过去而因循守旧,也不要因为今天有了更好的东西而轻视昨日已完成之事。
【点评】尊重而不迷恋,这才是我们对待过去的正确态度。
6.For the records show, to one who reads with honesty, how old is our newest knowledge, how painfully and proudly we struggle to discoveries, which, instead of being new truth, are only rediscoveries of lost knowledge.
—— Max Thorek, 1880——1960
【译文】有记录显示,对于一名诚实的阅读者,所谓的最新知识其实是多么古老。我们为之苦苦奋斗并引以为豪的“发现”也不是什么新的真理,只不过是对忘却知识的重新发现。
【点评】当年,刚进入硕士课题设计阶段的我也曾经有过类似的体验,常常为之兴奋了一个晚上的所谓新想法,第二天到图书馆蹲一天后才发现前人早就研究过了。这段话对那些初入行而且立志要做出一番伟大创新或发现的年轻医生来说有两点启示:其一,外科学发展到今天,横空出世的发现和创新是很少的;其二,用新的技术和思维重新审视已被遗忘的一些知识有可能发现一片新天地。(https://www.daowen.com)
7.Some men are most ingenious in finding forgotten ideas and putting them forth as new and original.This process is, in reality getting scientific eggs from cold storage and selling them as newly laid.
—— J.Chalmers Da Costa, 1863——1933
【译文】有些人在挖掘一些被遗忘的想法方面独具才能,并能将其作为原创性的新东西推出来。实际上,这个过程犹如从冷库中取出科学鸡蛋,然后将其作为新出产的鸡蛋出售。
【点评】其实这也是科学创新的一个重要途径。随着科学理论和技术的进步,不少当时由于各种条件限制没能取得突破的,并已经被遗忘的想法被重新挖掘出来往往有意想不到的惊喜。

8.It is a magnificent adventure for the budding surgeon to recognize what he or she is currently learning within the context of past and present social, cultural,and economic institutions.
—— Ira M.Rutkow
【译文】刚崭露头角的外科医生认识到,在过去和现在这种承前启后的社会、文化和经济制度大背景下,他们正在学习的东西,是一场伟大的探险。
【点评】 有幸投身于这个伟大时代的每一位年轻医生都值得骄傲与自豪。
9.The only thing we ever learn from medical history is that we never learn.
—— John B.McKinley
【译文】从医学史中我们得到的唯一收获就是我们从不吸取教训。
【点评】虽然“人不能两次走进同一条河流”,但“人类永远在重复地犯着同样愚蠢的错误”。
10.If the history of medicine is told through the stories of doctors, it is because their contributions stand in place of the more substantive heroism of their patients.
—— Siddhartha Mukherjee
【译文】如果医学史是通过医生的故事来讲述的,那说明医生的贡献取代了患者,(但实际上)后者更体现了实质性的英雄主义。
【点评】实际上,医学史是医生与他们的患者共同谱写的。
11.When I was younger, I always told the residents that the first sign of senility in a surgeon is when he demonstrates an interest in surgical history.
—— Leo A.Gordon
【译文】我年轻的时候总是告诉住院医生,外科医生老迈的第一征象就是他开始对外科史表现出兴趣。
【点评】清楚从哪儿来才知道该往哪儿去。