Physician of the Soul.

On February 15, 1921, the operating room of the Kane Summit Hospital in New York was ready for surgery. A Doctor is performing an appendectomy.

In many ways the events leading up to the surgery are uneventful. The patient has complained of severe abdominal pain. The diagnosis is clear: inflamed appendix. Dr. Evan O’Neill Kane is performing the surgery. In his distinguished 37-year medical career, he has performed nearly four thousand appendectomies, so this surgery will be uneventful in all ways except two.

The first novelty of this operation? The use of local anesthesia in major surgery. Dr Kane is a crusader against the hazards of general anesthetics. He contended that a local application is far safer. Many of his colleagues agree in principle, but in order for them to agree in practice, they will have to see the theory applied.

Dr. Kane searches for a volunteer, a patient who is willing to undergo surgery while only under local anesthesia. A volunteer is not easy to find. Many are squeamish at the thought of being awake during their own surgery. Others are fearful that the anesthesia might wear of too soon.

Eventually Dr Kane finds a candidate. On Tuesday morning, February 15, 1921, the historic operation occurs.

The patient is prepped. As he has done thousands of times, Dr Kane dissects the superficial tissues and locates the appendix. He skillfully removes it and concludes the surgery. During the procedure, the patient complains of only minor discomfort. The patient is taken into post-op, then placed in a hospital ward. He recovers quickly and is discharged two days later. Dr Kane had proven his theory thanks to the willingness of the brave volunteer.

But I said there were two facts that made this surgery unique. The first was the use of local anesthetic. The second is the patient. The courageous candidate for the surgery by Dr. Kane was Dr. Kane. To prove his point, Dr Kane operated on himself using mirrors.

Think about that: The doctor became a patient in order to convince the patients to trust the doctor. What about the great physician of the soul.  The true story of Dr Kane is mild compared to the story of God who became human, so that you and I would believe that the healer knows our hurts, he voluntarily became one of us. He placed himself in our position. He suffered our pains and felt our fears.

He felt rejection, He knew temptation, He experienced loneliness, and He tasted death. Why? So that when you are suffering you will go to Him, your Physician, and let Him heal you.