'A remarkable case involving the amoral responsibility of a surgeon is now before one of the Paris courts. Nearly three years ago, a young woman who was engaged to be married came to the conclusion that the thickness of her legs was likely to interfere her happiness. She wanted to be as beautiful as Possible in the eyes of her future husband. Massage, hygiene and dieting were too slow for her, She wanted to have the offending flesh ent away, unaginging that her object would be attained by a fow weeks' pain and inconvenience. She consulted well-known surgeon, who, she says, confirmed her belief that the operation was practicable and devoid of danger. She placed herself in his hands, and ho ro-moved a largo wedge-shaped piece of flesh from one of her calves. The wound was so large, in fact, that he could not stitch the edges of the wound together, and the calf had to be tied up "like a sausage. Gangrene began to set in, and the low had to be amputated to save the patient's life, thus putting a distressing end to her sacrifice in the cause of beauty, or vanity.
She brought an action to recover half a million franes from the surgeon, who replied that she underwent the operation of her own free will and on her own initiative, that he took all possible precautions and, in short, was not responsible. He offered to describe his handling. of the ease to a committee of surgical experts and to abide by thei decision, The Legal Dilemma After heating the pleading, the Court, at usual in these cases, called upon he representative of the Public Prosecutor to give his view fof what should be done in the feeneral interest of the community. 'Thiy magistrate said that it was unnecessary to call any experts, as hho lad. no doubt of the surgeon'. responsibility. He maintaind that no surgical operation ought to be Indertaken except to Felleve pain or ward off danger to life. He admitted, however, that operations for the removal of facial disigurements caused by war wounds were perfectly legitimate. The worthy, not refer to similar which are practised every day, on women who are threatened' with doulde chins or crows' feet of baggy skin under the eyes. One wonders what his own wife would say to him if he assert ed, in conjugal conversation, that surgical skill ought never to be used for anything except curative Purposes and should therefore be withheld from a woman who thought it would improve her appearance, or from a man handicapped in the struggle for by a misshaped nose. Some-might also be said about individual liberty and the responsibility of adults for their own actions. The Court did not feel able to decide the issue offhand, and the case was adjourned until next week for judgment,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.