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w ildering situation is easily arrived a t if sought in the ligh t of God’s Revela tion to mankind. And it is only from th is source th a t we can get th e least help in th e m atter. If one sta rts w ith false assumptions concerning th e func tions and fu tu re developments of the medical profession, and, if he fu rth e r assumes a p rio ri th a t medical trea tm e n t is per se exerting an uplifting influence in hum an society, his reasoning from such prem ises m ust lead him to conclu sions which will blind his m ind to the existing situation, and pave th e way for serious disappointm ent concerning m at te rs of highest importance. One thing should be evident to th e most careless observer. No m illennium , or U topian scheme of society, is ever to be brought about by the unaided efforts of th e med ical fratern ity . The fact is, th a t man is, and always has been, determ ined to have his own way, and to a tta in happi ness in a m anner opposed to H eaven’s laws. F o r a while he has seemingly been on the h ig h way to success. But let the world b ear in m ind th a t th e first man was expelled from th e Garden of Eden in o rder to prevent a sinful cre a tu re from obtaining immortal" life ex cept in th e way th a t has now been brough t to lig h t by th e Gospel (Gen. 3:20-23; 2 Tim. 1 :1 0 ). The aim of medicine has ever been to nullify th e curse. But th is can never be. “ God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, th a t shall he also reap ” (Gal. 6 :7 )— medical science, and all other sciences, to th e con trary notw ith stand ing. A SIGN W ITH A MORAL A m erchant who had been robbed of a therm om eter pu t th is notice on his window, ‘‘The person who took the therm om eter from my door had better re tu rn it. It will be of no use where they are going since it reg isters only 125 degrees.”
fants, whose lives a re saved through medical agency, had they le ft th is scene in th e days of th e ir innocence. Judged by th is test, medical tre a t m ent certainly has increased th e num ber of S atan ’s victims. F u rth erm o re, when hum an life is artificially leng th ened, th e added days are themselves nearly always fu ll of suffering, both m ental and physical. The w riter does not for a moment mean to suggest th a t' any hopeful ef fo rt for th e preservation of life should be abandoned. The foregoing consid eration s are. b rough t to m ind for th e purpose merely of show ing how futile are m an’s attem p ts to obviate, or m iti gate, th e consequences of sin, w ithout dealing w ith Sin itself— th e potent cause of all hum an m isery. F rom these considerations we learn th a t no t only are men’s best and most successful ef fo rts in th a t direction u tte rly futile, but th a t, in fact, they do bu t serve to in crease th e sum -total of th e w retched ness and sufferings of mankind. God being w hat He is, and sin being w hat it is, th e resu lt could no t be otherwise. So it yet rem ains to be proved th a t th e sum -total of hum an suffering has been decreased in th e very least by all th e medical effort of th e ages. On th e contrary, it seems to th e w riter very d e a r th a t hum an m isery has been in creased directly in proportion to the success of medical treatm en t. We have already shown th a t th e average physical condition of hum anity, as a whole, has been impaired in th e same proportion. Finally, where civilization has borne its rip est fru it, i. e., in our cities, and where medical efficiency is a t its very highest, th e expectancy of leng th of life is constantly dim inishing. If present tendencies work ou t as they prom ise to do, it seems th a t a decrease in th e sum to ta l of hum an life m ust be accepted as th e d irect re su lt of civilization, and th a t the medical profession will have to ad m it its to ta l defeat in th e n ear future. The explanation of th is seem ingly be
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