The Bradshaw Lecture on Nephrectomy, Nephrolithotomy, and Lithotomy: Delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons of England on December 11th, 1901
Authors: T. R. Jessop
Journal: BMJ (1901)

The whole world knows how, at the call of Government, he faced the dangers of the South African battlefields to place his unrivalled experience at his country's time, too, when he might well have claimed rest.'Who can estimate the sum of consolation carried act of.patriotisminto the innumerable anxious throughout the length and breadth of the land?'We who' have been brought into close contact with these wallscan aappraise the value of hiis behalf this-College.No man has had its interests none been more ready to place time and disposal.it a consolation to know that he has alike byhis-Sovereign, his professional people.The generous founler of the Bradshaw Lecture exercised, think, wise discretion in permitting each lecturer to seleet his own subject, placing no further him than that he shall not range beyond Such liberty of choice would seem admirably ,afford opportunities for-the appointed lecturers fore their colleagues matured opinions upon subjects they may have been specially interested, have obtained wide, if not exceptional, experience.Our late distinguished President, when asking take the task for this year, must chiefly, -intended to do honour to thelarge and well.reputed hospital withwhich iI have for many years been connected, and whilst fully recognising this, I desire to place high appreciation of the compliment paid have hesitated somewhat in' my desire concerning the surgery of the kidney; our 7Mr.'Morris, having recently published so complete work on this subject as to leave little unsaid.questions, however, and especially on those origin and development, there is room for personal experience, if 'the outcome be no more than to confirm 'observed by others; nay, more, it is only by accumulated, experience of many that such works as Morris's rendered possible, and so it becomes a duty for each cf us to what addition we can to the common stock.I will fore apologise for offering my small contribution aa eubject, but will claim that in sso.doing "I've my.duty and I've done no more."-Myfirst essay in renal surgery dates back winter a869-i870, and as it exhibits a combination of-boldness timidity, which not inaptly exemplifies of date, 'I will not hesitate to make confession It about this time that M. Dieulafoy had introduced fession his well-known pneumatic aspirator," instrumentwhich early came into very general use, which surgeons were emboldened to evacuate examine the contents of cavities and swellings 'most quently reserved for,post-mortem examination.indeed considered complete which did information to be obtained by means of this A dispensarypatient, pale and emaciated from pyurin., was brought under my notice, in whose right large swelling, firm,.fixpd, and elastic.A diagnosis of abscess in the kidney was confirmed byan obvious diminution in the urinary sedimeDt after several ounces of pus lhad been evacuated through the loin by means of the aspirator needle.The suppuration along tibe needle track which ensued led me to freely incise the loin, and the subjacent kidney the dilated caliies of which were readily felt.by the finger introducea ttirough the incision.No,foreign substance was felt,norwasany dili- genlt search made.Thle after-treatment consisted of the inevitable lin- seed poultice, and the results, I need hardly say, were pyeemia and death.In addition to the pynemicfoci of recent origin, the necropsy revealed nothing more than a kidney converted-into a thick-walled sac- culated oag of pus, in which was imbedded a phosphatic-coated uric acid calculus of conbiderable size.Of the.early history of this patient I have neither note nor recollection.Probably.it,wasless eventful than the extent of mischief would seem to imply.