The Sun.
London, England, 1828-12-15 00:00:00

perly, the incision of the gorget must have inter_
sected the wound firmed with the knife, and
yet nothing has been said Of :hat ;' but still, though this
stone was shelved, was in a orvity, shelved op, turned, and
twisted, so that it walked off fioro the opera,- (and Uhl,
can wonder at it, plied as it was), it was ill the end ex-
tracted with the straight 1-aceps. Gerrtlemen, I bee you
-to consider this question Weil. lam appealing ro a .ito'y'af
surgeons—this is a surgical question. For God's rake
don't decide it hastily—don't decide it against Mr. Bransby
Cooper, if you think lie has acted properly. I care not for
the consequences. I would -rather -die in a dungeon than
injure any man ; hut if it is true, I would rather expire
in a ditch than I woukl refuse publishing the truth, I
have published the truth, and I shall pUblish the truth come
when it may.
Well, Mr. Bransby Cooper says he could not tell where
the stone was when the bladder was Contracted_ Gentle-
men, the bladder has but one fixed point—it is fixed by an
unyielding ligament to the pubis, and that's the position of
the patient when the operation is being performed.
IMr. W. chewed the position by the pelvis of a skeleton
on the table before him.]
You heard a good deal in the progress of the case of the
tuberosity of the isehium ; now these are the patty, and
when the operation is performed, an incision is made from
towards the scrotum, about half-Way down, below this
part. Why,- you are told that this stone was shelved above
the pubis and behind the pubis ; but, gentlemen, this is
the position of the patient (adapting the position of
the pelvis), and 0 stone cannot be lodged above the*
pubis, because- the pubis happens to be above the
bladder, and the stone is lodged below this ;
a tendon proceeds from it to the pubis, and no
force, not all the force or all the strength of the body can
drive it beyond it. Had there been a shelf here, had
there been a crooked passage, had there been a cavity, or
any place for the deposition of the Stone, do you suppose
that shelf would not have been produced ? Had there
• been any thing particular in the formatiOn of the pubis,
would they not have cut out the man's bone as well as
the bladder ? No, Gentlemen, the bone is not pro-
pueed, but the bladder is produced, and produced in
a bottle of dirty spirits. I tried last evening to
see that bladder, but I could not. I had no opportunity
.of-seeing it. I never saw it till this morning, and even
then I did not see it properly. They did not like to ex-
, pose-that bladder--wby not? Because to surgeons there
is in it undisputable proof that' Bransby Coope-r- did :lot
perform that operation as he ought. Alr. Callaway knew
it—Mr. Key knew- it. Mr. Key admitted that if a
gorges was introduced as admitted, in a horizontal pJ.
sition, it must have intersected the first incision. You
heard all the witnesses yesterday state that after an
attempt made to introduce the forceps; another knife was
introduced after the forceps were used, and yet I am
ashamed of it—l really am ashamed of it—l have not lan.
guage to express my shame relative to these gentlemen—
these Hospital surgeons—who have come forward to state
that this operation was performed in a scientific man-
ner ! It is impossible—it is utterly impossible—that
I, or that any other man who knows how the
operation should be performed—it is impossible that
Ivor auv other man who knows how the operation should
be performed, can express what we must feel relative to
these surgeons l But they are ;nterested parties ; they
have come here in a song to swear down those disinterested
spectators wheat I have brought forward ; they have
come here to swear dowti, and outweigh by the influence
of their names, and not by their talents, because
talents are not always • accompanied with great names,
neither are great names always accompanied with
great talent, but they' have come here to swear
down and outweigh the testimony of persons per-
feetly disinterested—persons perfectly disinterested either as
regards me or Mr. Bransby Cooper, they care not one
straw for MP, nor do they eare one straw for Mr. Bransby
Cooper ; I dare say I may never see them again ; they
have gone into the box and spoke honestly, with the ex-',
ception of one only, while a whole gang of hospital sur-
geons have come forward who are daily committing the
same 'bungling operations that Mr. Bransby Cooper
perforMed, aye, and as bunglingly performed. Gentle-
men you may be aware, from the state of the
avenues leading into the Court, that this case has ex
-cited the most intense interest is the public mind. I en-
treat you, therefore, tu consider well your verdict. Weigh
well the consequences. I care not for the consequences.
If you are satisfied of the manner in which this operation
was performed; and think he performed it as it ought to
have been performed, give him your verdict. I would with
my family give tip every thing—l would give up the
Lancet—l would give up all, and expire on the
spot, before I would injure Bransby Cooper or
arty other man under the sun ; but if you are satisfied that
it was not performed as it ought to have been performed— .
That if it had hcen performed properly, the man might
have been living,: and a 'comfort to his wife and family,—
then give such a verdict as" will satisfy the poor, us
will shew that men are not to go into offices of this
Sort where the poor are to be killed, and that they shall
not be at 'liberty to wade and ride through blood
up to their neck to crei;ence in their profession,
like great generals. Alt, gentlemen, return the verdict which
shall satisfy the poor,- which shall degrade for ever, and cast
eternal disgrace on these hospital surgeons who have had the
hardihood to_ come forward here to-day, and swear that
the operation'was performed as it -ought to have been, and
that they should have acted themselves in a similar way.
I have done, Gentlemen.

At the' canclusion of this address, which was spoken in
the most emphatic manner, Mr. Wakely was applauded
from various parts of the Court. This ebullition of feel-
ing wee at length checked by Lord Tenterden, threatening
the partieS with committa
Lord TENTERDEN then proceeded to sum up the ease,
and recapitulated the evidence of the Jury. With respect
to the desire of the man to be released, he belieied that it
was pretty generally understood by surgeons, that Unless a
man was of extraordinary nerve, he often wished to be
released from the operation ; to which wish the-surgeon
of course ought not to attend, as "long as there was a
reasonable expectation of releasing the patient from
his suffering. As to the report, lie thought that
there could be no question that it was drawn up
in an unprofession manner—in such a way as no
one would have done with a real sense of propriety.
The defendant had objected that only one of those who
were present at the operation had been called by Mr.
Cooper ; but he (the Chief Justice) did not see
whom he could, with propriety, have called, besides
Mr. Callaway : the others were all young men only
pupils--and probably too young and inexperienced
to form any judgment -on the case that could be rea-
sonably relied upon. The question was one of the
greatest interest to the public, and to Mr. Branshy Cooper
himself. ' It appeared on nearly all hands • that the
operation was one of great difficulty—one in which the
most able surgeons were liable to failure. It also appeared
that the length of time occupied, and the number of instru-
ments used, were no criterion of the want of skill of the
operator. All these circumstances the Jury were to take
into their consideration. If they thought that the de-
fendant had proved the unskilfulness or unsurgeonlike
conduct of the operator, they were bound to give him
their verdict, whatever their opinion might be as to the
form of the report, or the motives Mr. Lambert might
have had in writing it. If, on the other hand, they were
of opinion that that had not been made out, they
must return their verdict fur the plaintiff; and in that ease
they would have to consider what damages the ease required
The report certainly placed an imputation on the pro-*
fessional character of the plaintiff; and as the work was in
large circulation; if the :Jury believed that the defendant
was in fault, they were bound to give the plaintiff
such compensation as should meet all those circum-
stances; lint he (the Judge) could by no means go
the tenths of the Learned Counsel, in saying that the
Jury, ought, by their damages, to mark theic indignation of
what bad taken place. They were to look at the whole of
the circumstances with coolness and consideration, turd that
would lead them to the proper amount of damage..
At a iparter to nine o'clock the Jury retired, and did not
return into Court till five minutes to eleven o'clock, when
they delivered a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages, 1001.