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Show BONAPARTE AT JAFFA. (British Medical Journal.) Professor Forgue of Montpeljer in a recent re-cent lecture on the respect that practitioners practi-tioners should have for human life told the story of Desgenettes, which, though well known, is worth telling again as it is told by Desgenettes himself. When the French were about to evacuate evacu-ate Jaffa the question arose what was to be done with the plague stricken soldiers in the hospital. Desgenettes says: "Shortly "Short-ly before the raising of the siege that is to say. on the -ith General Bonaparte sent for me very early in the morning to his tent, where he was alone with his chief of staff. After a short preamble as to our sanitary condition, he said to me: If 1 were you J should end at once the sufferings of those stricken with plague and should end the dangers which they threaten us by giving them opium ' "I answered simply. 'My duty is to preserve pre-serve life. Then the general developed his idea with th'. greatest coolness, saving sav-ing that he was advised for others what in like circumstance he would ask for himself. "He pointed out to me that lie was before any one else, charged with the conservation of the army, and consequently consequent-ly it was his duty to prevent our abandoned aban-doned sick from falling alive under the scimitars of the Turks. I do not Vek ' he went on to overcome vour repugnance, repug-nance, but I believe I shall find some who will beUer appreciate my intentions.' inten-tions.' " Desgenettes goes on thp sav, that opium was. as a matter of fact given to some thirty patients. It happened, however, that a certain number rejected it by vomiting, were relieved, re-lieved, got well and told what had happened. hap-pened. The story has been told in various vari-ous ways, and the fact of the poisoning of the sick soidiers has been accepted by the enemies of Napoleon and denied by the defenders of nis memory. Desgenettes' narrative bears the stamp of truth. |