A final reply to the numerous slanders, circulated by Nathaniel Chapman, M.D., professor of the institutes and practice of medicine in the University of Pennsylvania / by Granville Sharp Pattison.

  • Pattison, Granville Sharp, 1791-1851.
Date:
1821
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A final reply to the numerous slanders, circulated by Nathaniel Chapman, M.D., professor of the institutes and practice of medicine in the University of Pennsylvania / by Granville Sharp Pattison. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    35/38
    pupil of a quizzing class, conducted by him and two of his brother professors' will be sure of his diploma, that testimonial of medical qualification has los* the consideration which it formerly possessed, and is now viewed as little better than waste paper. He has himself been chiefly instrumental in destroy- ing- the reputation of the Un'n ersity with which he is connected, and aware that others must now take the lead, he has hoped to postpone the eul day to a more distant period, by endeavouring- to persuade gentlemen at a distance that the University of Maryland is a school where they must not trust their sons, because Mr, Pattison holds a Professorship in it. The impotent effort to injure the University of Maryland by the circulation of slanders againt its Professor of Anatomy, has not been confined to Dr. Chapman. One of his colleagues has been equally active, as the following facts will demonstrate. 1 was consulted, the beginning of last summer by a young gentleman from Virginia on account of a tumour of the face. He had consulted an eminent surgeon of Philadelphia some years before, who, having been mistaken as to the true nature of the disease, performed at the interval of two years, two operations, which had only the effect of aggravating the complaint. When I saw the patient, I had no difficulty in discovering that the affection was an aneurism by an anastimosis of the internal maxillary artery, and one which no operation but ligature of the corotid artery could possibly benefit. This operation was accordingly performed with success, and the patient restored to health. Dr. Gibson, immediately after the return home of my patient, visited the town where he resided ; whether he had or had not other business there, I shall not pretend to say, but this I can prove, that he stated over the whole .'country which he traversed, that I had performed an operation for a disease which had never existed. I will demand of this Pro- fessor of Surgery , if any man, at all conversant with his profession will pretend to say that, after an artery passing to an aneurism has been tied, it is possi- ble to ascertain whether an aneurism had or had not previously existed. He had only seen my patient after the operation, and he consequently was not entitled to give an opinion on the nature of a disease which had been re- moved by it. It has been widely circulated in Philadelphia and elsewhere, that this patient has died from my blunder; and some of Dr. Gibson's and Chapman's pupils have been active in giving currency to this falsehood. As it must gratify their preceptors to learn that this report is groundless, 1 shall publish the following letter lately received from my patient: Mr Dear Sir, I have just now received your letter—I can assure you that neither myself nor father have felt or expressed the slightest dissatisfaction at the operation, on the contrary we have been deeply impressed with the utility of it, and are continually confirmed in this belief by my progressive impro ement. I hope you received no further trouble from the Philadelphia faculty. Their representations can have no weight with any who saw me before the late op- eration, and have since had an opportunity of observing the change in my appearance. I require no other evidence of what I owe you than the immense alteration I feel. I never enjoyed better health than I do at this time, and my friends all con- gratulate me on the very great change that has taken place in my appearance. Ha-ing undertood as coming from Dr. G. that some of the physicians of this town, coiToborate his opinion of the impropriety of the operation : 1 would state that no physicians here have examined my case excepting the With the highest esteem, Your Obd't. Serv't. I have been unwilling to introduce names unnecessarily.