A treatise on varicose capillaries : as constituting the structure of carcinoma of the hepatic ducts, and developing the law and treatment of morbid growths, with an account of a new form of the pus globule / by Thomas Gordon Hake.

  • Hake, Thomas Gordon, 1809-1895.
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on varicose capillaries : as constituting the structure of carcinoma of the hepatic ducts, and developing the law and treatment of morbid growths, with an account of a new form of the pus globule / by Thomas Gordon Hake. 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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    VARICOSE CAPILLARIES. DR. HAKE’S STATEMENT. YQ [From the London Medical Gazette for Aug. 24, 1839.] Sir, In the pursuit of knowledge there are two great principles to be observed : the first and most important being the dig- nity which invests the subject; thesecond, the personal interests of parties occupied in the pursuit. It is of the nature of the latter to affect us too closely ; but in the controversy on which I am now' entered, I trust I may ever be mindful of the former, whatever may be the character of the language used towards me by an opponent. For my own part I place but little value on any discovery beyond its use- fulness to the public, and am by no means ambitious of being called a dis- coverer for the mere sake of the title. It would even give me greater satis- faction to resign any fact that I might have arrived at, than be suspected of so low a vice as plagiarism. But when I put you in possession of the principal circumstances which have transpired in the matter at issue between a distin- guished anatomist and myself, I am convinced you will agree with me that I could not have selected a more candid liue of conduct than that which I have chosen. About six weeks ago, I passed the latter part of an evening at the house of Mr. Kiernan, Mr. Powell being present. At a very late hour, and after we had examined a variety of objects, Mr. Kier- nan, without comment, placed under the microscope a preparation of intestine, and invited Mr. Powell and myself to inspect it. I looked at it for some mi- nutes, and during that time made various remarks, and, among others, one was to the effect that it contained what I had reason to think was varicose capillaries, which was certainly not met in the af- firmative by Mr. Kiernan, but by the remark that one day I should know “all about it,” and a repetition of the usual expression that he possessed “ some ex- tremely curious things,” which he had never shown to any one. My curiosity being excited, I asked him to produce some of these curiosities, not at all ex- pecting him to comply, and added, that he need not he afraid of my betraying him. He answered that he might, per- haps, one day. From that time to the present I have never seen one of his preparations. Before stating to you the history of my humble researches, and the manner in which they were treated by Mr. Kier- nan, to whom they were unreservedly submitted, I shall allude to the state- ments made by that gentleman in your journal, and examine the nature of his assertions. As respects my having “ repeatedly seen the greater number of his prepara- tions illustrative of the anatomy of can- cer,” I can only say that I was once at that gentleman’s house by invitation, when about half a dozen bottles were handed from his shelves for my inspec- tion ; that I have been present once or twice when the same scene has been re- peated for the gratification of others; but that instead of these preparations, beau- tiful as they are, being illustrative of the anatomy of cancer, they contain nothing that may not be seen daily in the ana- tomical museums of the metropolis. Mr. Kiernan asserts that “ he had told me that he had other preparations illustrative of the mode of development of every description of growth that I “ had repeatedly asked him to show me those preparations, and to communi- cate his views to me, promising him that I w'ould not divulge any thing he might communicate to me.” Each of these sentences by itself is in a great degree true : Mr. Kiernan had told me that he possessed such prepara- tions ; I did ask him, but not repeatedly, to show me those preparations, and did say that I would not take any unfair advantage; but in the sentence which follows, viz., “ that having no reason to doubt my honour, he complied w ith my request,” the truth is entirely distorted; he asserts that in consequence of such request he produced his preparation, whereas the request was made by me subsequently to my seeing that prepa- ration, as stated in my narrative. That