Notes on transplantation or engrafting of skin / by John Woodman.

  • Woodman, John, 1837-1903.
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Notes on transplantation or engrafting of skin / by John Woodman. 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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    The success of this case attracted considerable atten- tion, and caused the operation to be tried in most of the London and several of the country hospitals. During its progress, Mr. Pollock transplanted a small piece of a negro’s skin, which attached itself, and around it grew an island of skin; but although the original spot retained its colour, the skin growing round it was the same as from engrafts of white skin, and after some time, without apparent cause, the piece of black skin sloughed away. In noticing the general treatment of ulcers, two principal things have to be considered—viz., rapidity and permanency of cure. Transplantation of skin will be found to greatly assist the surgeon in meeting both these requirements. Ulcers are of many kinds, and of course those which rest and other applications will rapidly heal are not, unless very extensive, the cases in which much benefit will result, as to rapidity, by the adoption of engraft- ing ; on the other hand, either in cases of extensive destruction of integument, or in old chronic and (so called) incurable ulcers, the most marked successes will be found; not that from this it is meant that every case can be cured, still I am sure so large a number can be, that no case should be put down as incurable until this method has been fairly tried and failed. Then, as to permanency, all who have had much to