The principles and practice of gynaecology / by Thomas Addis Emmet.

  • Emmet, Thomas Addis, 1828-1919.
Date:
1880
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The principles and practice of gynaecology / by Thomas Addis Emmet. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    have compressed numerous histories and facts into a number of statis- tical tables, which present, in brief space, information that .hundreds of pages would scarcely have sufficed to contain in detail. Their parallel, it is believed, is not to be found in the whole range of gynae- cological literature, and if they unfold to others what I have aimed to put in them, I shall feel compensated for the labor they have in- volved. For two continuous years they kept me occupied in hours not required for professional work, and to the minutest detail they have been prepared by myself, for I felt that their value rested on their accuracy, which I could not have vouched for if their compila- tion had been committed to others. In addition to my own experience, I have endeavored to record that of other authors whenever available, aiming always to include Avhat I felt was useful, and to exclude rigorously what I knew to be erroneous in precept or practice, so that the work might faithfully mirror what I conceived to be the true aspect of gynaecology. It will be observed that, with the exception of the two plates taken from Savage's work and some of the instruments, all the illustrations are original, the drawings having been furnished by myself. If I have omitted to give due credit to any one for priority in, or special contribution to, the elucidation of any subject, it has been through inadvertence, for I would account no man's labor as my own. For obvious reasons I have been silent upon all diseases and con- ditions not peculiar to women ; and I have not thought it necessary to insert formal prescriptions in the work. No man can prove successful as a gynaecologist who has not mastered the principles of medicine, and stored' up experience in the general treatment of disease. The competent practitioner knows that prescriptions must be varied with each case ; to the incompetent, ready-made formulae are but a snare. From the first page to the last I have cherished the same deep sense of responsibility that every conscientious physician must feel at the bedside of a patient whose life is in his hands ; and in com- mitting this Avork to my brethren I can truly say that it reflects the best part of a career that has not been idle or lacking in earnestness of purpose, and I trust, not spent in vain. 89 Madison Avenue, New York. March, 1879.