Report of the trial, Cooper versus Wakley, for libel / from the notes of W.B. Gurney ; with remarks on the evidence, by Bransby B. Cooper.

  • Cooper, Bransby Blake, 1792-1853.
Date:
1829
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the trial, Cooper versus Wakley, for libel / from the notes of W.B. Gurney ; with remarks on the evidence, by Bransby B. Cooper. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    withdraw the staff, only the knife ; you keep the staff in and introduce your finger to ascertain the wound you have made. If you ascertain that the wound is sufficient, (I am not speaking of this operation,) and your finger is inserted into the bladder, you endeavour to feel the stone with your finger ?—Yes, I believe many would be pleased if they could, but it is not always the case. Lord Tenterden.—Do you endeavour to do it ?—Yes. Sir James Scarlett.—If you are so fortunate, then you may direct the forceps along the finger, and take hold of the stone at the end of the finger ?— You must have made a very large wound, or have a very small pair of forceps, or you would not get the finger and forceps in at the same time. If you have occasion to make a larger incision, and your finger is in the bladder, what is the course you take then ?—The course I should take if I had got my staff in, would be to withdraw my finger and introduce the knife again, and carry the knife along the groove again, and make a larger angle and consequently a larger wound with the knife and staff then I had done before. If the staff is withdrawn, you know the urethra is cut with the knife ?—Yes Could you introduce the staff again through the urethra with safety ?—It is all laid open, it is one wound. I could introduce it through, that it must communicate with the wound. Suppose the staff to be withdrawn after the urethra and the bladder are opened, could the staff with propriety be introduced again through the urethra with safety?—There is no necessity. If there was a necessity, ought it to be so introduced?—You mean com- mencing at the end of the penis ? You might, but it would be useless. Would there not be a chance of the staff coming out of the wound and running below ?—The curved one would not. How could you be sure of that, that the curved one would not come out ?— The man that passed it out could not be aware what he was about, that is. all I know. But you are of opinion there is no occasion to introduce the staff through the urethra?—Certainly not, not through the sound part of it. After a cut is once made, the staff operates as a sound ?—A straight ■staff will not do it with facility. Do not they use the staff after a sufficient incision is made, merely by way of a sound ?—No, certainly not. > What is the use of it ?—To satisfy yourself you have made your wound large enough, if you can withdraw it, it is of no further use.' You do not want three or four instruments in the bladder at onetime. Suppose you cannot find the stone with the forceps, and want to ascertain again where it is, where would you introduce it, through the perineal open- ing or through the urethra?—Through the perineal opening upon my finger Whereabout did you stand when the operation was performed ?-I had a chair, and sat immediately behind Mr. Cooper. Did you know him ?—I never saw him before that day. Now I will come to the particular operation. You stated that you had no c