A tale of two inventions
In my last post I wrote about an impressive operation performed in 1888 by the American surgeon George Ryerson Fowler, […]
Horrifying operations
Libel and lithotomy
In his textbook The Principles of Surgery (1801) the Scottish surgeon John Bell emphasised the importance of speed when operating
Hidden dangers, Horrifying operations
The golden pin
This story has a delightful combination of youthful misadventure and surgical ingenuity. OK, so ‘delightful’ might be a bit of
The bacon factory eyelid transplant
I haven’t had much time for blogging recently, since I’ve been working hard on a book which will be published
Horrifying operations, Primitive equipment, Remarkable recoveries
A triumph of surgery
In June 1898, British newspapers reported an exciting medical story under the headline ‘Triumph in Surgery’. Their source was a
Horrifying operations, Unfortunate predicaments
The stone bullet
In 1829 a surgeon from Wolverhampton, William Lewis, contributed this unusual surgical tale to The Lancet: John Roden, a boy about
Horrifying operations, Remarkable recoveries
Bruit force
Committee reports aren’t exactly famed for their entertainment value. But while leafing through the 1850 volume of the Transactions of
Horrifying operations, Unfortunate predicaments
A watch spring, a bean and a clove of garlic
An 1868 issue of a French journal, the Bulletin général de thérapeutique médicale et chirurgical, contains this case report contributed
Britain’s first heart surgeon
Earlier today I was interviewed on TalkRadio about a man I believe to have been Britain’s first heart surgeon –
Horrifying operations
The first caesarean in Ireland
Caesarean section is now the most commonly performed major operation in many parts of the world. A study published in