Robert Liston The nineteenth century AD Amputated the leg in under 2 1⁄2 minutes (the patient died afterwards in the ward from hospital gangrene; they usually did in those pre-Listerian days). He amputated in addition the fingers of his young assistant (who died afterwards in the ward from hospital gangrene). He also slashed through the …
Emil Theodor Kocher (25 August 1841 – 27 July 1917) was a Swiss physician and medical researcher who received the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work in the physiology, pathology and surgery of the thyroid. Among his many accomplishments are the introduction and promotion of aseptic surgery and scientific methods in …
He asked for a ‘training period’ of six month, in which the constructed two instruments and tested them. One being a retractor and the other a ‘royally curved’ scalpel, which looks a bit like a scythe. Monsieur Félix, with official allowance, tested those on three to four guinea pigs per week and 75 men from …
William Halsted The inventor of diathermy, which Cushing brought along with him to perform surgeries in order to utilize the specifically created diathermy for him. He first used it in brain and nerve operations, marking one of the greatest advancements in modern surgery. William T. Bovie (September 11, 1882 – January 1, 1958) was an …
Theodore Billroth, you know, was the first to remove cancer from the rectum, not just the stomach. On January 29, 1881, after many ill-fated attempts, Billroth performed the first successful resection for antral carcinoma on Therese Heller, who lived for almost 4 months and died of liver metastases. He accomplished this operation by closing the …
The name “Munchausen syndrome” derives from Baron Munchausen, a literary character loosely based on the German nobleman Hieronymus Karl Friedrich, Freiherr von Münchhausen (1720–1797). The historical baron became a well-known storyteller in the late 18th century for entertaining dinner guests with tales about his adventures during the Russo-Turkish War. In 1785 German-born writer and con …
Major events of history have frequently turned on seemingly trivial matters. One such situation involves Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo. Napoleon was not feeling well on the day of the battle of Waterloo, despite fighting well at Ligny, a few days before the last, dramatic June 18 battle. There is considerable indication that Napoleon was bothered …
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