Notes on medical matters and medical men in London and Paris / by David W. Yandell.

  • Yandell, David Wendel, 1826-1898.
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Notes on medical matters and medical men in London and Paris / by David W. Yandell. 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.)

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    mind and body, with the promise of many years before him—with even a youthful ardor in the accumulation of knowledge, we may yet expect to see many valuable con- tributions from his pen to our stock of surgical literature. At this season of the year he is not engaged in lecturing, so that I have not had many opportunities of forming an opinion of his powers in that way, but judging from the remarks I have a few times heard him make after his operations, I should say that he is not a fluent speaker, and that his aim is rather to give a clear statement of facts bearing upon his subject, than to appear graceful or eloquent. I have seen him exe- cute several operations, the most important of which was amputation of the thigh by the circular method—a mode quite unusual with him, his uniform practice having been to perform the flap operation. It was one of those cases in which no display of peculiar skill could be made, but even in this Mr. Lis ton showed-his greatness; and he did so not so much by the use of his knife, as by the general order and plan of the whole procedure. There was no noise, no bus- tle; every one, surgeons and assistants, had been taught his duties and his place. While the patient was being placed on the table for the operation, Liston was in another room changing his coat for an old one, which is his custom instead of putting on an apron. Presently he made his appearance, glanced at the bandages and the position of the patient, ad- justed the tournequet, and then took up the knife and began the operation in the quietest manner imaginable. After he had finished the amputation he applied most of the ligatures himself, adjusted the edges of the wound, gave a few direc- tions about the treatment, made some remarks concerning the cause and nature of the operation, and, with a simple nod of the head, walked out of the room. I am in London at the worst season of the year for the prosecution of my studies by means of lectures. The winj ter term is over, and the great men, with a few exceptions, have withdrawn from their chairs until October, when their