In what sort of a world will our great-great grandchildren live? Will "germ" and "bacteria" be words of the past? And will cancer and heart disease still take the young and those in the prim^ of life?
While relaxing recently in his rather spartan but neatly furnished private office on the 18th floor of Charity Hospital, Dr. John Adriani, head of the department' of anesthesia there for 23 years, carefully reflected that tomorrow will always bring
crises and means will constantly have to be adapted to combat illnesses we may not even be aware of today.
DR. ADRIAN!, who has
pioneered in new areas of anesthesia research, and has headed the department that includes two training schools and the entire surgery unit at Charity, as well as founding the hospital b 1 o o d bank, paused to give examples of his theory.
He cited pneumonia as an example of what he meant. He said that thousands used to die annually from lumbar pneumonia, but diligent research found the answers and it is no longer a major killer. But today even the best drugs rarely cope with recently recognized forms of viral pneumonia from which vic-tifns rarely recover.
"TAKE ANOTHER area," he suggested. "Infections used to be a major problem in operating rooms. We worked and worked and through the efforts of hundreds of people all over the country devised some good answers to making operating rooms completely antiseptic. But new strains of bacteria have developed and we now have to cope with an infectious agent called staph. We have to wonder if all the answers will ever be compiled, Most of the time, it seems to be a cycle*"
Extremely proud of the role New Orleans physicians have played in the development of medicine, Dr. Adriani points to the fields of surgery, anesthesia and public health among others where local contributions have been particularly outstanding.
HE NOTED THERE will akvays be a special place in medical history for men the caliber of Dr. Rudolph Matas, a New Orleans physician who was the first to see the potential of vascular surgery.
"Moreover, the tradition is being carried on today particularly in surgery where cer-
tain New Orleans pnysi are pioneering in new techniques that could open a lot of closed doors," he remarked.
On the subject of breakthroughs, Dr. Adriani predicted there would be eventual success in cancer research.
"We know more about it now," he said, "and we can attack' it from new angles. The ultimate answer doesn't lie in burning or cutting out cancerous growths. Hopefully, we may find some of the answers in perfusion techniques."
EXPLAINING THAT perfusion is a chemical approach to treating cancer in which a limited area of the body may be intravenously treated with cancer-killing compounds, Dr. Adriani observed that even if this does not signal a major breakthrough, light will be cast in a number of areas now shrouded in mystery.
"The one thing I will predict," he smiled, perhaps recalling his undergradute days in chemistry, "is that the answer will come from biochemical laboratories."
He added there was also a need for new antibiotics to fight viral diseases/ noting that present ones are not often enough satisfactory in acute cases.
ONE AREA WHERE Dr.
Adriani is sensitive concerns the criticisms leveled at Charity Hospital by the press and the public. He doesn't pretend there are no problems at the vast hospital, but fears the good done every day for thousands will be forgotten while temporary deficiencies become permanently fixed in the public mind.
Dr. Adriani was recently named to a 16-member citizen's committee by Gov.-elect John McKeithen to investigate problems at Charity.
"If we do indeed have problems and I'm not conceding anything," he said seriously, "they are comparatively minor in contrast to the scope and good services this institution renders. Any difficulties can be overcome with the proper kind of cooperation from the right people."
A SUBJECT ON which Dr Adriani speaks with great feeling is the present day cost of being ill.
"The cost of medical care has become prohibitive," he stated. "If a doctor gets sick he's as likely to go broke paying bills as anyone else. Being sick isn't a luxury. It's often a catastrophe that can wreck a family."
Dr. Adriani said whether the government arranges for health plans or private insurance companies elect to fill the vacuum, there is an urgent need for society to take steps assuring that savings will not be wiped out by the cost of medical care..
"PERSONALLY, I think and hope it can be done by private insurance firms. If the government comes in — well it will become costly. I don't necessarily believe in social* ization but there is a desperate need for widespread and better health insurance," he argued.
Dr. Adriani charged that traditional forms of health insurance have become outmoded when reasonable premiums don't give effective coverage and full-coverage premiums are too expensive.
"What good does it do a man if his insurance pays $10
a day for a $25 a day room and he goes into the hospital for three weeks while his income stops"? he demanded to know.
"AND THE END isn't even in sight," he pointed out. "The more we learn, the more we know, the more $5,000 machines we get, you can be sure it will cost the public more under our present setup."
Dr. Adriani said although physicians are often blamed for the high cost of being ill, the fault, in large part lies elsewhere.
He said that at one time, doctors could adopt the "Robin Hood theory" where patients were charged according to their means. This is no longer true to any great extent, he stated.
"YOU CAN'T CHARGE a
millionaire $1,000 for a gall bladder operation that costs everyone else $350," the doctor said. "The millionaire can't understand why he should pay more than the value of the service he receives."
"And do you know what?" Dr. Adriani remarked with a broad smile. "I can't understand why he should either." PHOTO:
DR. JOHN ADRIANI "we're saving more people"
