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Archival description
Pathology
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Post Mortem Examinations and Case Books

  • 406 PM
  • Collection
  • 1840-1946

The post mortem records contain manuscript case notes, with medical notes both pre and post mortem. These include details on patients’ admission to the hospital, treatments and medication administered to patients and the medical history of patients; the medical histories were copied into the volumes from hospital registers, which are no longer extant. The post mortem cases include detailed pathological findings made during the detailed examination of the body after death. From the 1880s onwards the case books contain original anatomical drawings and photographs.

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The following information is recorded for each case. The information is transcribed from the case notes and/or the relevant index and, where relevant, additionally standardised using MeSH (Medical Subject Headings)

• Name of the patient. If a name is not entered in the volume, it is noted in the catalogue as ‘[No name stated]’

• Gender of the patient (female / male / unknown)

• Age of the patient. Usually in numbers, following the original, with the following exceptions: 4/12 = 4 months, 4/52 = 4 weeks, 4/365 = 4 days. If no age is entered, it is noted in the catalogue as ‘[No age stated]’

• Occupation of the patient. Where no occupation is entered, it is noted in the catalogue as ‘[No occupation stated]’. Children are often designated according to their father’s or mother’s occupation and women by their husband’s occupation (e.g. ‘F / Horsekeeper’, ‘M. Charwoman’, ‘Hd Grocer’); these have been rendered in the catalogue as ‘[Child of] Horsekeeper’, ‘[Wife of] Grocer’

• Date of admission and date of death

• The names of the doctors treating or examining the patient. ‘Admitted under the care of’ denotes the senior doctor in charge of the case (usually entered at the top of the page and in the index); ‘Post mortem performed by’ denotes the doctor responsible for the post mortem examination (usually signed at the bottom of the page) and ‘Medical examination performed by’ denotes the doctor responsible for the medical examination prior to death (usually signed at the bottom of the page). The earliest records usually contain only one name, and some of the later ones may contain multiple names in each category. An authority record (name access point) with basic biographical details has been created for each doctor mentioned in the records; these can be used to explore all the cases related to a particular individual

• Disease(s) or cause of death of the patient. Transcribed from the medical case and/or the index and standardised, e.g. ‘Disease (transcribed): Phthisis. Fractured base. Disease (standardised): Tuberculosis (lungs). Fracture (skull)’

• Medical and post mortem notes. Brief summary description or transcription of the case notes relating to previous medical history (not a full transcription of the case notes)

• Note on whether the case includes illustrations or photographs; these can also be browsed via genre access points

• Note on whether the death was caused by trauma, accident or suicide

• Subject access points, using standardised terms from MeSH, with disease type (e.g. respiratory tract diseases, cardiovascular diseases) and anatomy type (e.g. cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system), which can be used for browsing all relevant cases

Note on transcriptions and abbreviations

Names have been silently expanded, e.g. Jas = James, Wm = William

Some common abbreviations and acronyms

AMCH = Atkinson Morley Convalescent Hospital, Wimbledon
BID = Brought in dead
COA = Condition on admission
F = Father
H or Hd = Husband
HP = House physician
HS = House surgeon
IP = In-patient
L = Left
M = Mother
MR or Med reg or Med r = Medical register or Medical registrar
MS = Museum specimen
OP = Out-patient
OPD = Out-patient department
OR = Obstetric register
PMH = Previous medical history
PH = Previous history
Pt or Pat = Patient
PM = Post mortem
R = Right
RF = Rheumatic fever
Ry = Railway
SR or Surg reg = Surgical register or Surgical registrar
TB = Tuberculosis
VD = Venereal disease

St George's Hospital, London

Duncan, Andrew: Medical Commentaries, Vol. IX

Articles by various authors.

Full title: Medical Commentaries for the Year M.DCC.XCIV. Exhibiting a Concise View of the Latest and Most Important Discoveries in Medicine and Medical Philosophy, collected and published by Andred Duncan, M.D.F.R.&A.SS.Ed.’

Holmes, T.: A System of Surgery (Second edition), Vols. I-II, IV-V

Ex libris of the Library of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow pasted inside the front cover, inscribed ‘7th Oct 1869’ (Vol I); ‘8th Jan 1870’ (Vol II); ‘9th Jan 1871’ (Vol IV); ‘27/5/71’ (Vol V)

Second edition. Five volumes (Vol III missing): I (General Pathology); II (Local Injuries. Diseases of the Eye); III (Operative Surgery; Diseases of the Organs of Special Sense, Respiration, Circulation, Locomotion, and Innervation); IV (Diseases of the Organs of Digestion, of the Genito-Urinary System, of the Breast, Thyroid Gland, and Skin; Appendix of Miscellaneous Subjects); V (Diseases of the Genital Organs, of the Breast, Thyroid Glad, and Skin; Operative Surgery)

Holmes, T.: A System of Surgery, Theoretical and Practical, in Treatises by Various Authors, Vols. I-IV

Inscription on title page (Vol I): ‘London Hospital Medical Library 1904’

Four volumes: I (General Pathology); II (Local Injuries. Diseases of the Eye); III (Operative Surgery; Diseases of the Organs of Special Sense, Respiration, Circulation, Locomotion, and Innervation); IV (Diseases of the Organs of Digestion, of the Genito-Urinary System, of the Breast, Thyroid Gland, and Skin; Appendix of Miscellaneous Subjects)

The New Sydenham Society: An Atlas of Illustrations of Clinical Medicine Surgery and Pathology: Vols. XIII-XXV

Vol. XIII: Sarcoma Melanodes or Hebra; Ringworm, Pityriasis
Vol. XIV: Frambcesial Syphilis (Yaws and Paragi)
Vol. XIV: Leucoderma; Myxcedema; Miscelleaneous; Eruptions caused by drugs
Vol. XV: Drug Eruptions
Vol. XVI: Bromide Eruptions; Lichens Urticatus; Pemphigus Vegetans
Vol. XVI: Coxa Vara
Vol. XVII: Fractures & Dislocations of the Upper Extremity
Vol. XVIII & XIX: Elephantiasis in English Practice, Symmetrical Lupus Vulgaris' the potato-like tumour of neck, Schistosoma Cattoi
Vol. XVIII: Eruptions, Urticaria Pigmentose, Leprosy
Vol. XXV: Diseases of Fallopian Tube Ovary, Uterus

Boerhaave, Herman: Dr Boerhaave's Academical Lectures on the Theory of Physic, Vols. II-VI

Inscription on title page: ‘Presented to the St George’s Hospital Library by Mr Willisford 1836’

Full title: ‘Dr Boerhaave’s Academical Lectures on the Theory of Physic Being a Genuine Translation of his Institutes and Explanatory Comment, Collated and adjusted to each other, as they were dictated to this Students at the University of Leyden’

Boerhaave, Herman: Studii Medici, Vols. I-II

Inscriptions on flyleaf: ‘J[ames] F. Palmer Apine[?] 1823 London’, ‘Presented to St George’s Hospital Library by J.F. Palmer Esq. House surgeon June 30th 1824’

Full title: ‘Hermanni Boerhaave viri summi, suique praeceptoris Methodus Studii Medici Emaculata & Accessionibus Iocupletata ab Alberto ab Haller’

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