The Deadliest Surgery in History By the ‘Fastest Knife in the West End ’
ggle AN INCREASE IN TRAFFIC AND A DECREASE IN MASS TRANSIT Even though people are returning to their workplaces, mass transit has still not bounced back. Before the pandemic, in February 2020, 1.2 million trips were taken on the T during an average weekday. In capital needs. This is on top of the money the agency already received due to federal stimulus money. Boston’s mayoral candidates spent much time debating ways to make the T more
popular. Candidate Michelle Wu has even proposed making rides on the T free while her competitor, Annissa Essaibi George, was requesting a “more thoughtful approach.” As the increased traffic
August, an average of 531,000 people rode the T on a daily basis. That’s nearly a 56% decrease.
continues to wear down the roads, delays may only get worse. It’s causing many
People who have returned to work are more likely to use their personal vehicles rather than ride the T and risk sitting in an enclosed space
Bostonians to debate whether they should return to riding mass transit or not.
If you needed surgery in the early 1800s, it could be a death sentence. Before anesthesia, patients were awake and lucid the entire time. One of this era’s greatest surgeons, Dr. Robert Liston, was named the “fastest knife in the West End” because he was known for performing surgeries very quickly. One fateful day, Dr. Liston cut through his patient’s broken, infected leg with incredible speed — so incredible that he didn’t realize he had cut off two of his assistant’s fingers, too. The patient and assistant later died of gangrene. But theirs were not the only deaths that day. In those days, people found amputations morbidly entertaining. When Dr. Liston grabbed one of his knives, he whipped it too closely to one spectator, slicing through his coat. While he didn’t actually break the man’s skin, the spectator thought he’d been stabbed and died of shock. Today, it’s the only known surgery with a 300% mortality rate.
and chance their health. The Pioneer Institute has been tracking T ridership, and they believe that the transit system is on life-support. The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation warned that the T would require $1.25 billion in annual revenue to meet operating and
... continued from Cover
has a profound joy for the life that he still has. He has since helped so many people and looks at his past as a necessary education that gave him the unique tools and credentials to help others who may be walking the same dead-end path he once traveled. He taught me that bad beginnings don’t need to lead
to bad endings. I will never forget my work with this gentleman, and I’m grateful for the lessons he taught me about hope and redemption. He was a client but now I call him my friend. There are so many other clients who have helped me become a better person over the years. If you are a former client reading this, I want to thank you for being a part of my continuing education in this thing we call life.
-Len Spada
CALL NOW! 617.889.5000 • 3
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator