New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-01-07
TRIUMPHS OF SURGERY.

PROFESSOR OF TIE PRACTICE OF SURGERY,
&C, IN BELLEVUE HOSPITAL MEDICAL COL
LEGE, NEw-Y0RK.
The third lecture of the Scientific Course
before the American Institute delivered last night
at the Academy OF Music, by Prof F. II. Hamilton of
Bellevue Hospital Medical College the Triunphs of
Modern Surgery" Prof. Hamilton said;
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: To one who has devoted
large portion OF his life the subject OF Surgery who
has himself been witness Of many of its failures aud
successes who has had occasion at one time to lament
it's insult ency and at another 10 eXu In its trumphs
the theme Which have chosen for this evenings dis
cussion Is fu interest," but cannot very well under
stand how yOu be attracted by narrative of events
which arc much out OF the usual of popular
thoughts and tastes and which constantly invested
with painful and tragic associations This is the subject
however, which have ventured to ntrude upon you,
trusting that it will not prove Wholly uninterestng
to the present audience.
It not to be understood that prior to the general
decay Of letters surgery had made no progress There
be no doubt that surgery was practieed in some
manner from the earliest periods of human ex.stence
hut the first written accounts we have OF our art are
derived from the Greeks according to whom Apollo
the God of Medicine and Surgery as well MS OF Mu
sic. At length however, Apollo resigned the department
OF Medicine and Surgery 10 his son Esculapus Homer
has celebrated the fame OF Machaoh ana f0darus sos
OF Escuapu accompanied the Greeks to the siege
OF Troy, i92 years before Christ. Machaon being
wounded by Paris, Achilles brought old Nestor to take
good care Of him. For" he says, "a leech who like
out darts, and relieve the smart
ing OF wounds by soothing unguents is to armies more
in value than many heroes" In direct descent from Is
of Cos AGO Years before Christ He was the first leave
any written records OF his opinions and pracce III sur
But not my intention to review the early history
Of surgery which gradually in the succeeding centuries
by many distinguished Greek, Roman and Arabian sur
seons Whatever stores oI srca o or a buried
the libraries Of the priests aud monks during the Pc
Rod Intervening between the fifth and fifteenth centu
of the OF printing by Laurentus
OF Haraem about the year 1922 paved the way for the
awaken from long sleep; but durable foundation
was laid until the beginning Of the next century; when
anatomy first taught Systematically from human
dssections in Padua by Vesalius, native OF Brussels
argech under S the pToeSton Of Ptoemy soier had
been permitted about years before Christ 70 open
lar privileges had been extended to other surgeons in
later tines but neither the Greeks Romans encour-
aged dissectOns, while the study OF anatomy was
strictly forbidden amongth Mohammedans
AMBROSE PARE-LIGATURE
Ambrose Pare. born at Laval in France in 1909, was
a member of the fraternity of barbersurgeons but,
such was the reputation he acquired operator, he
was made surgeon to four successive sovercigns Of
France, and, among others, to the weak and cruel
Charles TX. by whom, however, although Pare was
Huguenot his life saved ON the terrible night OF the
massacre OF ST. Bartholomew by OBTAINING him in the
royal chamber until morning. With Pare, who lived
The achievements and trumphs OF modern Surgery.
Hitherto after ampntatiOns the bleeding vessels had gen
irons, or by dipping the end of the stump in boiling oil
though II had been suggested and probably adopted IN
few several centuries before had been forgotten
the mortality under the old process of securing the yes
sell that Guy dc Cbaulac declared it better TO let
the limb drop off than TO apuate with the knife; and
he advised Hgatng firmly at the nearest joint and thus
since Pare wrote great Improvements have been made
the application OF the gature and its usefulness has
IT, application for the reduction Of vascular tumors, in
cuding eephanass for the relief OF epilepsy, and for
are suffering OF blood; but the greatest
achievements Of the gature have been in the cure OF
aneurisins
The arteries which convey the blood from the heart
TO the various portions Of the body consist of
a trunk with many branches. When at any point
the walls Of a vessel give way and become ex-
banded into a tumor, called an aneurism, threat
cnng sudden and complete disruption 10 becomes neces
a. Mr Hunter has shown, sufficiently remote from the
10 insure healthy condition of the vessel at
the point Of the Application OF the ngatur You VIII now
understand how essential TO the surgeon knowledge
ofmnuie anatomy and how Impossible ~ was 70 naDd
many other operations in surgery in those periods
ted. Nor Let it be understood, can practical knowl-
edge Of anatomy he acquired by study OF the most
CaTefuyexecuted models, prints, cOOred drawings.
mi Snrposc in refreshing the memory; but to know how
safely T. tie an artefy Wing deep within the living body
surrounded by muscles nerves and veins IN the neigh
borhood Of viscera whose lesion would be fatal, the
operator must have made careful end repeated Glssec-
tons upon the eadayer His knife must be guided 10y
steady hand and an intelligent Drain Like me mariner
among the rocks in dark night he must he able TO avan
himself Of every object which by accident comes into
view 10 direct his
Aided by the exact knowledge thus obtained, and
Irotng by the experience OF those who have preceded
them, surgeons have advanced from the lgature OF
artery another until at length the two largest areri
trunks the body have been tied; and in the of
one them the gature has been applied successfully
almost ~ the very point az which IL cmerges from the
heart For example the femoral artery, which supplies
Of the lower extremity, first tied for aneulm
y Hunter, according 10 the method which has received
lis name about the year 175 AT the present day the
eame operation has probably been performed success
fully many thousand times In 1885, Abernety the great
Scotch surgeon, tied the external lilac In 1872 Dr.
Alexander stevens, whose death TOOK place IN TINS CITY
only years ago, tied successfully the internal
lilac; operation which was soon repeated by Akin
son and Mott OF New-fork, and by Mmte OF hudson on
the North River Up to THIS date tins latter operation
Gibson OF Philadelphia first tied the common lilac In 1872
IN the OF wound but unsuccesstully 1t was re-
served for Dr. Mott in 1927 10 make the first successful
operation this artery In a case of aneurism.
To appreciate the skill and the bOldness requisite for
its performance II must be understood that the artery IN
question lies at great depth within the cavity OF the
belly the backbone; and that TO reach IT. the Oper
ator must carry his dissecoue in circuitous route
from before around the yiseera to the back Moreover
great trunk is the only direct channel Of supply for
survive the complete interruption Of its nutritious
Channelsi Experience had already shown that great
legation Of the femoral and external lilac the diataon
OF the small collateral branches and their inOscuatOns
being sufficient speedily to restore the normal elreu,
latiOn. But how was 1t to be with the common laof
No could say. Mott made the experiment. and sue
has now been made with equal success many times and
IL has accordingly taken its place as one OF established
The common carotid artery the great artery of the
neck which furnishes the chief supply OF blood 10 the
head was first tried for aneursn by sIT Ashley cooper
operation, however, with success in 1908. Dr. Wright
Post OF New-York was the first successful American
operator; since which time few surgeons OF much
experience have not repeated the operation
ISNoMISATA-DR VALENTINE MOTT.
The croyning triumph OF the ligature remains TO be
mentioned innominata is that great artery which,
arising from the aora the heart lies through its
1fo ,~ffxy cf fl,ao hat