Gunn, Andrew

English

epublications@Marquette

The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 33 | Number 1 Article 27February 1966Letter from Scotland: One Hundred Years LaterAndrew GunnFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqRecommended CitationGunn, Andrew (1966) "Letter from Scotland: One Hundred Years Later," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 33 : No. 1 , Article 27.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol33/iss1/27Lette,e, /'t-(UH, Seotte'i, tJ,ee �euuiud feMa ,. As I write to you the celebrations marking the centenary of the intro­duction of antiseptic surgery by Joseph Lister are drawing to a close. It was very pleasing to us in Scot­land that so many of your eminent surgeons were here to join us in our celebrations. In this letter I would like to discuss some of the problems we have been, and indeed still are facing in the field of LINACRE QuARTERL y's prescribed interests, philosophy and ethics as they affect the practising doctor. Of heresy I hope there will be none, perhaps it will not in all parts merit the Im­primatur; I can but present and comment upon some of the weighty problems - the views expressed are not always those of the author! CATHOLIC SCHOOLS In Scotland we are unusuallyfortunate to have a completely inde­pendent system of Catholic schoolswholly supported financially by thegovernment. Being accustomed tosuch a system, I suppose we· tendto take it for granted. The Churchin Scotland is at least spared theawful financial burden of . buildingand maintenance. In 1965 we havealready seen the threatened closureof the Jesuit Beaumont College inEngland. There is at present anational policy to convert our gram­mar schools into comprehensiveschools and such conversion doesplace a severe financial burden on96 religious c administering pri-vate scho, The comprehensi\'e school shr have many advan-tages and dd benefit the child who is a r: develope r" though we have · ;)rries about its effect on the per. · mce of the "univer-sity strean - in fact a fear of"leveling d " rather than "level-ing up" 1cademic sta ndards.Severe the:. these problems arethey are ir• way to be comparedwith the p 2m presented by thedesperate sl 1ge of teachers. This is a natioH" Mblem and not only a problem .u r Catholic schools. The fear hat such shortages might even "'" demand regroup· ing and n ,;1ising schools into larger unit<· :1 the inevitable con· sequences c, 10minational schools. already rer. ,,cl as something of an unnecc y luxury in many administra t 1 • uinds.Pius X, t: sreat patron of ed�-cation, put ,his way: "By theirfruits you �. . .l know them. � schools arc Ui- result not so much�,good methocis as of good teachers. A SE1 Si OF PURPOSE This has };ccn described as anage of "debunking." I would rather. . Itcall it an age of negattv1Sm, seems fashionable to sneer, to be­little· we seem to hear a lot aboutwha; people arc against and all tool h for· too little about w iat t ey are 'th.many people standing up fo r th� · rights and a 11 too few for e LINACRE QUARTERLY. Not that there is any-new in all this - from time nations seem to go through pllDlls of apparent stagnation -pads when they lose their sense i�. Yet hear the plaintive Wordsworth in 1802: raise us up, return to us again; W give us manners, virtue; freedom, power. :'1'hJ soul was like a star · and dwelt lpllt; Thou hadst a voice whose sound was lib the sea, 11n as the naked heavens, majestic, fne. So dids't thou travel on life's common way Ill cheerful Godliness; and yet thy !art 'l'lie lowliest duties on itself did lay."� lines might just as well .. been written a century and a later, and we know too that �Aristotle despaired of the youth •day!1966 is:n there is much that is restricting, and it may engender complacency ar.d self-sufficiency. COLONIALISM Colonialism seems to express something that is wholly bad. Ironically, the British as the great­est colonial power of all time are now preparing to celebrate in 1966 the 900th anniversary of the Nor­man Conquest of Britain. From afar we can see things in perspec­tive and I hope that when the heat and hatred has died away in the newly emerging states that they too may see the benefits which coloni­sation has brought- Christianity, education, communications. Bl RTH CONTROL Birth control is still the medico­moral talking point. There is no denying that there is a spirit of reformation moving in the Church today. Guidance is eagerly awaited by the laity. I think it true to say that it is often awaited with ex­pectation of some change in the Church's present teaching. It is dif­ficult to imagine why the arrival of the "pill" should lead people to expect change, but I think the rea­soning goes something like this: The Church accepts the use of the "safe period" for the better spacing of children under certain conditions. This seems to establish in many people's minds that the Church ac­cepts this as a form of "contracep­tion" in principle. The fact that the Church rejects all unnatural fo�sof contraception is often more dif­ficult to understand. Inevitably, people will point out that many 97 Churchmen did, and some still do hold that it is immoral to reliev; the pain of childbirth because of God's utterance; ". . . in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children .... " ((!enesis, 3, 16). And yet no Cath­olic doctor of my acquaintance would subscribe to this. Again the unhappy episode over Galileo will b� menti�ned, and again it may be difficult m all conscience not to accept that Churchmen had erred however well the episode may b; explained away. The Church is completely op­posed to unnatural methods of con­traception as these are "contrary to the natural law" but is there a single development in medical sci­ence that is not equally "contrary to the natural law" and yet we do not hold anaesthetics or antibiotics to be occasions of sin? And so the argument proceeds something added at every step until there is made out a case for contra­ception that is exceedingly difficult to refute. should go about such urgen tly w·· His Holinc· I began the Lister < may be a1 for us al hundred y, There a facing mar .. , many poin nations. E areas of a: therefore i where we r­gether to al and povert:·· A1 M I, ' Br, Dt·· Sec -�U8 s wrong that we loubt for s o  long c matters and how iit the guidance of a brief mention of nary, I think there >ortant lesson to bereflect upon one1.ater.any grave problems. today and there are.lisagreemen t  amongly there are many.nent. Can we notto disagree, andn concord work to·,te hunger, suffering 1,, Gunn,Ch.B., F.R.C.S. Ed.h.c Avenue,·,ty Ferry,c, Angus, .td, U.K.October 1965 urrent eratu re: :Jul.j anJ .Aljlraclj • • Material appearing in this column is thought to be of particular interest to the Catholic plrnsi­cian because of its moral, religious, or philo­sophic content. The medical literature consti­tutes the pTimary but not the sole source of such materiaL ln general, ab;tracts are intended to reflect the substance of the original article. Parenthetical editorial comment may foUow the abstract if considered desirable. Books are re­viewed rather than summarized. Contributions and comments from readers are invited . • Sir Theodore: Purposes of medi­Lancet 2:801-805 Oct. 23, 1965. la the face of the rapid advance of -'lcine it is appropriate to. re-ex­lilne its purposes. Are physicians Mints of science? of the race? of flDllle? of nature? In the final anal­Jlli, they are bound by the "tradi-6iaal obligation towards the patient -any patient." ,;;.;_ · The doctor has learnt more disease, and must go on learn­�t he is, and must always be, a being devoted first to human � · .. For a person or a profes­:'9 to restore and help one's neigh-may be no small task. But the lllrlQe is not a small one· nor is the !lmlege." ' l.,a, M:: The physician and the sexual �on. New Eng. ]. Med. 273: 1389 Dec. 16, 1965. .:::ugh sexual and marital mal-ent constitute a major health �Ian, the medical profession has Cllion. notably in the field of sex edu­-T? be sound, such education -begin . in chil�hood. Scientific WI SUpportmg the ' new morality " of ...... freedom are largely unreliable.tion, but in man it has an additional psychologic purpose - to promote the emotional growth of husband and wife. "A divine magnetism brings a young man and woman together. Life works its magic, and in selfless love and devotion they join hands as man and wife. They become as one. The heav­enly dreams of their courtship mate­rialize into living reality. Is it fair to teach youngsters a debased conception of sex that will deprive them of the richest experience of life?" THE DYING PATIENT, terminal illness, telling the truth to . patients with incurable disease - these topics continue to appear in the literature, suggesting again that the final word is a long way off. A representative col­lection of recent articles includes the following: Rhoads, P. S.: Management of the pa­tient with terminal illness. J.A.M.A.192:661-665 May 24, 1965. Regan, P. F.: The dying patient and his family. J.A.M.A. 192:666-667 May 24, 1965. (Editorial): Body and Soul. J.A.M.A.192:711 May 24, 1965 (editorial comment on preceding two papers). ---: Seven life-or-death dilemmas. respect is essential to a happy ::::r and is not fostered by pre­relations. In lower animals ll!rves the sole purpose of procrea-Med. Economics 42:73-105 July 12, 1965. 99 

Letter from Scotland: One Hundred Years Later

https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4271&amp;context=lnq

Letter from Scotland: One Hundred Years Later

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

epublications@Marquette