*Please note- This site search does not include the Vic. & Tas. BMD's, Lots o' Links & Worth a Look Books
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ROBERt LISTON
SURGEON
1794-1847
Robert Liston was born in Ecclesmachan, Scotland on Oct. 28 1794. He was the son of clergyman & inventor Henry Liston & Grandson of a Robert Liston, who was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Despite a family history of Clergymen, Robert Liston did not follow in his father's or grandfather's footsteps, but instead, he wanted a career in medicine.
He was educated at the University of Edinburgh and upon completing his formal education, he was appointed to be a lecturer of anatomy in Edinburgh and was mentioned in Blackwood's Magazine, as 'The Great Northern Anatomist'. In 1818, he became a surgeon at The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Liston was very skilled in his profession and was known to be the best surgeon of his time and those who could afford his services would not hesitate to request him to perform their operation.
Robert Liston was a very tall man and was known to be a little difficult to get along with, having quite an arrogant attitude. While working at the hospital in Edinburgh, he had disagreements with his colleagues. Author Richard Gordon,in his book 'Great Medical Disasters', described Robert Liston as an abrupt, abrasive, argumentative man, unfailingly charitable to the poor and tender to the sick, impossibly vain & was vilely unpopular among his fellow surgeons at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. He relished operating successfully in the reeking tenements of the Grassmarket and Lawnmarket on patients they'd discharged as hopelessly incurable. They conspired to bar him from wards, banishing him South in 1835, where he became a professor of surgery at University College Hospital in London and made a fortune.
He lived from 1840 to 1847 at No.5 Clifford Street, Mayfair, in an area now of some historical significance. Even though his services were well requested, Liston had a reputation of being the only surgeon in history to have a 300% mortality rate with his operations (how could that be, you say?) He was known for his speed to lessen the suffering of patients as operations were performed during that period, without using any form of anesthesia and the patient would have to be held down and just suffer the pain, so the quicker the better, that's why Liston was in big demand. Speed was of the essence in pre-anaesthetic surgery and Liston could complete the procedure in 2-3 minutes, rather than his colleagues, who could take up to 10 minutes. He was known as 'The fastest knife in Westend London and would say to those watching, "Time me, gentlemen, Time me" and would be applauded by onlookers, at the completion of his task. Some say, that he used to make a notch in the handle of his knife after each operation.
Sometimes, in his haste, Liston's operations would go slightly wrong. The two most notable stories are when he amputated a man's testicles along with his leg by mistake and another time, while amputating a patient's leg at the hip, Liston accidentally sliced through the fingers of one of his assistants, both assistant and patient, later dying of infection (as it was not necessary to wash your hands before operating). Also, while wielding his knife, he slashed the coat of a spectator who died of a heart attack from fright (that's where the 300% came into it)
Robert Liston also invented the "Liston splint" and "bulldog" locking forceps, which are still in use today, he also published two medical texts, 'The Elements of Surgery' and 'Practical Surgery'.
On December 21 1846, at University College Hospital, London, Robert Liston, performed the first operation in England using Ether, administered by Dr Squire. He performed an above knee amputation on a patient by the name of Frederick Churchill; with great success.Further use of ether in Europe's operating rooms revealed its drawbacks. It irritated surgeons' lungs, caused vomiting and other side effects in patients and, in some windowless rooms where surgery was performed by gaslight, the Ether ignited and caused fires. Anesthetics continued to improve & became more common in medicine, but Liston wouldn't live to see much of the progress, as he died less than a year later, in a sailing accident on December 7 1847 & is buried at Highgate West Cemetery, London.
Reference
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/10/time-me-gentlemen-the-fastest-surgeon-of-the-19th-century
http://io9.com/the-legend-of-the-surgery-with-the-300-mortality-rate-1684894531
He was educated at the University of Edinburgh and upon completing his formal education, he was appointed to be a lecturer of anatomy in Edinburgh and was mentioned in Blackwood's Magazine, as 'The Great Northern Anatomist'. In 1818, he became a surgeon at The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Liston was very skilled in his profession and was known to be the best surgeon of his time and those who could afford his services would not hesitate to request him to perform their operation.
Robert Liston was a very tall man and was known to be a little difficult to get along with, having quite an arrogant attitude. While working at the hospital in Edinburgh, he had disagreements with his colleagues. Author Richard Gordon,in his book 'Great Medical Disasters', described Robert Liston as an abrupt, abrasive, argumentative man, unfailingly charitable to the poor and tender to the sick, impossibly vain & was vilely unpopular among his fellow surgeons at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. He relished operating successfully in the reeking tenements of the Grassmarket and Lawnmarket on patients they'd discharged as hopelessly incurable. They conspired to bar him from wards, banishing him South in 1835, where he became a professor of surgery at University College Hospital in London and made a fortune.
He lived from 1840 to 1847 at No.5 Clifford Street, Mayfair, in an area now of some historical significance. Even though his services were well requested, Liston had a reputation of being the only surgeon in history to have a 300% mortality rate with his operations (how could that be, you say?) He was known for his speed to lessen the suffering of patients as operations were performed during that period, without using any form of anesthesia and the patient would have to be held down and just suffer the pain, so the quicker the better, that's why Liston was in big demand. Speed was of the essence in pre-anaesthetic surgery and Liston could complete the procedure in 2-3 minutes, rather than his colleagues, who could take up to 10 minutes. He was known as 'The fastest knife in Westend London and would say to those watching, "Time me, gentlemen, Time me" and would be applauded by onlookers, at the completion of his task. Some say, that he used to make a notch in the handle of his knife after each operation.
Sometimes, in his haste, Liston's operations would go slightly wrong. The two most notable stories are when he amputated a man's testicles along with his leg by mistake and another time, while amputating a patient's leg at the hip, Liston accidentally sliced through the fingers of one of his assistants, both assistant and patient, later dying of infection (as it was not necessary to wash your hands before operating). Also, while wielding his knife, he slashed the coat of a spectator who died of a heart attack from fright (that's where the 300% came into it)
Robert Liston also invented the "Liston splint" and "bulldog" locking forceps, which are still in use today, he also published two medical texts, 'The Elements of Surgery' and 'Practical Surgery'.
On December 21 1846, at University College Hospital, London, Robert Liston, performed the first operation in England using Ether, administered by Dr Squire. He performed an above knee amputation on a patient by the name of Frederick Churchill; with great success.Further use of ether in Europe's operating rooms revealed its drawbacks. It irritated surgeons' lungs, caused vomiting and other side effects in patients and, in some windowless rooms where surgery was performed by gaslight, the Ether ignited and caused fires. Anesthetics continued to improve & became more common in medicine, but Liston wouldn't live to see much of the progress, as he died less than a year later, in a sailing accident on December 7 1847 & is buried at Highgate West Cemetery, London.
Reference
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/10/time-me-gentlemen-the-fastest-surgeon-of-the-19th-century
http://io9.com/the-legend-of-the-surgery-with-the-300-mortality-rate-1684894531
1. Fastest Knife in Westend London
2. Church of Scotland
3. Hospitals & Universities
4. Equipment
5. Anaesthesia
6. Lawn/Grass/Haymarket
2. Church of Scotland
3. Hospitals & Universities
4. Equipment
5. Anaesthesia
6. Lawn/Grass/Haymarket
Fastest knife in
Westend London
Westend London
Robert Liston 'The fastest knife in Westend London'.
The artist was Ernest Board, of Bristol (1877-1934) commissioned by Henry S. Wellcome c1912.
The artist was Ernest Board, of Bristol (1877-1934) commissioned by Henry S. Wellcome c1912.
Dr. Liston would hold a major artery with his left hand
while cutting with the right
http://www.medicalantiques.com/civilwar/Medical_Authors_Faculty/Liston_and_Mutter.htm
while cutting with the right
http://www.medicalantiques.com/civilwar/Medical_Authors_Faculty/Liston_and_Mutter.htm
One of Liston's unfortunate patients was a young boy with a red pulsing growth on his neck. The house-surgeon claimed it was an aneurysm of the carotid artery, but Liston disagreed strongly. Picking up a knife, he shouted, “Pooh! Whoever heard of an aneurism in a boy so young?” and promptly sliced it, greeted by arterial blood & the boy’s death. The patient died but the artery lives, in University College Hospital pathology museum, specimen No.1256
Read a sample section online, of his book 'Great Medical Disasters' where he writes of Robert Liston's mishaps.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Medical-Disasters-Richard Mentioned in Richard Gordon's book Re- Robert Liston Removal in 4 minutes of a 45-pound scrotal tumour, whose owner had to carry it 'round in a wheelbarrow. No.5 Clifford street, Mayfair, was built in 1719, nearly
300 years ago.! Robert Liston lived at this address. It has since been superficially altered & is now used for mixed office/residential use. Table of notable inhabitants on the Burlington Estate http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols31-2/ Liston splint
Robert Liston also invented the 'Liston splint' which is still in use at some hospitals today. He also invented the see-through isinglass sticking plaster, which was used like a Band-Aid |
Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome 1853-1936
Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome, the founder of the Wellcome Trust, was a
businessman, collector & philanthropist. Wellcome co-founded a multinational pharmaceutical company that mastered modern techniques of advertising. He also funded pioneering medical research, making great breakthroughs into understanding how our bodies work. His Will provided for the Trust. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/about |
Church of Scotland
Playfair's New College
List of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List Scotland's religion was Roman Catholic until John Knox created the reformed Church of Scotland
in 1560. The Disruption of 1843 was a split within the established Church of Scotland, where 450 evangelical ministers of the Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's relationship with the State, to form the Free Church of Scotland. It came at the end of a bitter conflict within the established Church & had huge effects not only within the Church, but also upon Scottish civic life (wiki).
The Assembly Hall (above) is located between the Lawnmarket and The Mound in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the meeting place of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
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The Last General Assembly of
The United Free Church 1929 The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Is the minister or elder chosen to chair the annual General Assembly of the Church, for a week in Edinburgh every year. For the rest of the year, the Moderator spends his time representing the Church at civic events etc. The Moderator of the Church of Scotland is a prominent figure. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moderator_of_the_General The Assembly Hall itself was designed by David Bryce and built in 1858-9. The back of the Hall facing Castlehill was extended east by J. M. Dick Peddie in 1885, with further work in 1902-3. In 1934 the Free High Church vacated its building, which was adapted to become the New College Library.
A Section of the Painting 'The Disruption'
by David Octavius Hill 1802-1870 (Signing the Deed of Demission 1843) http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/1/1_church_of_scotland.htm The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament had an office within the Assembly Hall buildings; all other parliamentary offices were located in the former Midlothian County Buildings
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Hospitals & Universities
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, established 1729
The University College London was established in 1828 known as the University of London, until 1836. At first, students gained their clinical experience in the University Dispensary, but the building wasn't adequate. In 1832, a hospital of 100 beds was establish. The building was financed through public appeals & fees of students. The foundation stone was laid in 1833 & in 1834 the North
London Hospital was opened. Robert Liston, was the first person in England to perform an amputation with Ether there. Joseph Lister, who later revolutionized surgery through his work on infection & antisepsis, was a student at the Hospital also. In 1837 the name of the hospital was changed to University College Hospital. Two extensions were added in the 1840's. In 1851 the hospital's name again changed, to North London and University College Hospital, later dropping the 'North London'. Many Modifications were made after that time, to accommodate needs. https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/aboutus/whoweare/archives/Pages/ University of London General Register part III Details of graduates and undergraduates up until 31 March 1901 (except those listed in parts I-II). Names of Chancellors, officials, and teachers up until 1901 http://www.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/general_register_part_3 Lists of students’ examination results until 1912 http://archive.org/stream/historicalrecord00univrich#page/n5 A list of University of London graduates up to December 1926 http://www.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/graduates2ocr.pdf Lists of University of London graduates (excluding deceased graduates) up until 30 June 1930, and 1931 graduates http://www.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/1931gradlist.pdf |
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
Is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest voluntary hospital in the United Kingdom. The hospital moved to a new 900 bed site in 2003. It is a teaching hospital for the University of Edinburgh Medical School & clinical medicine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Infirm The University College Hospital was a teaching hospital. The website below, summarises records created by the Hospital & where they can be viewed
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Victorian Web-London
http://www.victorianweb.org/art/architectu Trust timeline https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/aboutus/whowear Lectures on the operations of surgery : and on diseases and accidents requiring operations by Liston, Robert,
Mütter, Thomas Dent 1846 https://archive.org/stream/66830620R.nlm University of London General Register part 1
Includes graduates who died before 31 December 1890 and those who were undergraduates up until 31 March 1883 but had not passed an examination up until 31 December 1890 http://www.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/gener University of London General Register part 2 Graduates who died, 1 January 1891- 30 March 1899, and those who were undergraduates, 31 March 1883-31 March 1893, but had not passed an examination by 31 March 1899 http://www.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/gener Examination registers 1838-1889
http://www.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/exam University of London graduatesin 1932-34 http://www.senatehouselibrary.ac.uk/sites |
Robert Liston's Equipment
Robert Liston's equipment
(looks more like the contents of my Dad's old toolbox) The LISTON LIMB cutting Saw
Bullnose Forceps Developed by Liston
LISTON BONE CUTTING FORCEPS
(They look like old wire cutters to me!) You can order your own pair, on the web site below, for only $41.36. While you're at it, you can also get yourself one of the following handy everyday items- An ANATOMY DISSECTION TABLE A MORTUARY REFRIGERATOR & FREEZER or A PORTABLE MORTUARY RACK WITH ROLLERS You can buy anything online! http://mortechmfg.com/products/bone |
The full amputation kit, in it's own little carry case, just like 'Jack the Ripper'
Antique surgical, amputation knife in own case, designed according to Liston. Early Surgeons, used it for the very rapid removal of limbs, without anaethestics.
http://curiousscience.com/7/Surgical/Antique-Surgical A knife allegedly used by Jack the Ripper in 1888.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-09/knife-allegedly-used |
I dread to think!
http://medicalantiques.com/
http://medicalantiques.com/
Anaesthesia
Between 1852 & 1857 at the London Hospital
Limb amputation had a mortality rate of 47%. Even lower for leg amputation.
Limb amputation had a mortality rate of 47%. Even lower for leg amputation.
History of Surgical Anesthesia
There was no satisfactory anesthesia available to put the patient into a deep sleep and allow doctors to perform unhurried operative procedures. Most methods would include packing a limb in ice or applying a tourniquet. Another technique used, was to induce unconsciousness, either by inflicting a blow to the head or by strangulation. Most often, however, the patient was simply restrained by physical force. Dentists were largely responsible for the introduction of both nitrous oxide and ether. http://www.discoveriesinmedicine.com/Enz-Ho/ |
The Old Operating Theatre Medical London
5:11 |
Scream - The History Of Anaesthetics
46:34 |
Lawn, Grass, or Haymarket
The Lawnmarket is a continuation of the High Street, but lies between the head of the old West Bow & St. Giles's Church. This spacious and stately thoroughfare used to be so covered by the stalls & canvas booths of the " lawn-merchants," with their webs and rolls of cloth of every description. The occupants had a community
of their own called the Lawnmarket Club, which was famous in its day for the earliest possession of English & foreign intelligence.No longer used as a market, the name remains to indicate the former usages. http://www.royal-mile.com/history/history-lawn King's Theatre Haymarket, London
LONDON HAD THE HAYMARKET
The HayMarket in the Westend of London, became an area for entertainment.
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THE GRASSMARKET is located centrally just south of Edinburgh Castle. Robert Liston among other surgeons, treated the poor there. The valley was naturally carved and the area was originally designed for the horse & cattle markets held weekly from 1477-1911. The area was also used to conduct public hangings, in the late 17th Century. Frequented in the past by historic figures such as Robert Burns & Wordsworth, today the Grassmarket is a meeting point for locals & visitors who enjoy shops & restaurants whilst soaking up the atmosphere with splendid views of the castle. A central feature of the Grassmarket is the Bow Well built in 1681 as the first
piped outlet of running water in Edinburgh. http://www.the-grassmarket.com/history.html http://bantarleton.tumblr.com/post/113208722400/ There were hangings at the Lawnmarket as well. One of Edinburgh’s notorious murderous bodysnatcher William Burke was hanged in the Lawnmarket 1829 in Edinburgh.
Melbourne 'HayMarket' or Eastern Market
Melbourne had a Haymarket as well, on the corner of Bourke & Stephen St (later Exhibition st.) The Haymarket Theatre ran opera seasons with many more performances than in Melbourne today. The market was drawing large numbers & also acting as a magnet for loiterers. The government was concerned about its potential as a gathering point for trouble only one block away from Parliament House. By the 1920's an array of dodgy businesses were loosely associated with the market. Newsboys slept in nearby lanes & the Newsboys’ Club was set up, where Squizzy Taylor was a regular. It was eventually demolished & replaced with a shopping mall & a five star hotel- The Southern Cross, which was also demolished in 2003 to make way for office development. http://www.whitehat.com.au/melbourne/Buildings emelbourne http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01406b |