The need of co-operation in surgical enterprise

1914 British Journal of Surgery  
T is a year since Sir Rickman Godlee wvrotc on the first page of this Journal : " We are all brot.hers working hand in hand for the advancement of our Science"-a year in which hopes and fears have given place to the assured satisfaction of SUCCCSS. We know that this country has never lackcd pioneers and leaders in the science of surgery ; but them has been very little concerted ;~ction towards the diffusion of knowledge, thc critical examination of new suggcstions, and the direction of rcsearch
more » ... by co-operative methods. Thc bminess of surgery is individualistic. competitive. arid sceretive ; but the science of surgery is altruistic. public, and above all. co-operative. Some surgeons arc gifted with ideas. others with manipillative skill ; this one can carry ou't laboratory experiments. that one can amass n great body of clinical observation. There are many young nicn with lcisure and energy ; and many of riper years. whosc time is fully occupicd in thc servicc of humanity, but who h a w an accumulated store of wisdom and cxpcricnce. So long as thrse workers remain isolated from one another the progress of knowledge lTil15t bc Sl OW and irregular; whereas if thcy could act together, not only \\-odd iudiridual surgeons gain in breadth of view and solindims of conclusion. but there woiild certainly result n gencral Rdvaiicc in knowledge such RS comcs only uith co-operative effort. But for this. therc must be some common meetingplace in the pages of a journal to whirh all contribute, and the patlierings of an association which all attcnd. Our clitiicel and ediicational systems arc largely responsible for the wmt of co-operation among thc mcmbers of thc surgical profession. Each hospital surgeon is, i i i a scnse, an independent teacher ; he was not guided by a senior colleague in his youth, nor does he always guide others whcn he is old and \'Ol.. I I -NO 5 .
doi:10.1002/bjs.1800020502 fatcat:oeoigeibkvbqxacbqrnvod557y