Surgery

Taxonomy

Code

Scope note(s)

Source note(s)

Display note(s)

Hierarchical terms

Surgery

Surgery

Equivalent terms

Surgery

112 Archival description results for Surgery

112 results directly related Exclude narrower terms

Papers relating to John Hunter

The collection relates to Hunter’s dispute with St George’s Hospital and the division of pupils’ fees among the surgeons, which Hunter perceived as unfair, arguing he brought in more pupils than the other surgeons. The dispute culminated in a meeting in Oct 1793 at the hospital, during which Hunter suffered a heart attack and died.

In addition to the papers relating to the dispute, there are some additional notes, some collected by Charles Hawkins and some by George Edwards. These include copies of two letters from John Hunter’s pupil James Williams to his sister, describing working with Hunter, dissections and the work of the so-called ‘Resurrection Men’, and describing Hunter’s death. These were acquired apparently from a descendant of Williams by Edwards; the location of the original letters is unknown.

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

Sharp, Samuel: A Treatise on the Operations of Surgery, with a Description and Representation of the Instruments Used in Performing Them

Ex libris of William Gillison Bell pasted on the inside of front cover. Inscription on flyleaf: ‘Presented by Malcolm Robinson 1948. From Mother’, St George’s Hospital Medical School Library 10.8.87

Full title: ‘A Treatise on the Operations of Surgery, with a Description and Representation of the Instruments Used in Performing Them: To which is prefix’d an Introduction on the Nature and Treatment of Wounds, Abscesses and Ulcers. By Samuel Sharp, Surgeon to Guy’s Hospital, The Sixth Edition, With several Alterations

Snow, John : On Chloroform and Other Anaesthetics

Inscriptions inside the cover and on flyleaves: ‘Presented to the library by Dr George Edwards, 1954’. Pasted on the inside the front cover: ‘St George’s Hospital Medical School (University of London) Hyde Park Corner, London S.W.1. 1954. The first Hospital to have an official Anaesthetist was St George’s and that anaesthetist was Dr John Snow. His posthumous work on Chloroform (1858) is a classic of medical literature. Some years ago the Library copy was sold for ten shillings as redundant. This copy is presented to replace that loss and it is hoped that future Librarians will keep it on the shelves. G. Edwards. Senior Anaesthetist, St George’s Hospital. Honorary Librarian to the Medical School’

South, John Flint; Power, D’Arcy; Paget, James: Memorials of the Craft of Surgery in England

Ex libris of Robert Rutson James pasted inside the front cover. Inscriptions on flyleaf and title page: ‘Herbert M. Page, Esq. M.D., D.P.H. from A.H.P. & H.J.P 10th Dec 1889. Wishing him Many Happy Returns of the Day’, ‘R.R. James 1925. To go to the Library, St George’s Hospital Medical School, Hyde Park Corner, London S.W.1 R.R.J. 1949. Sent 1950’

Includes a loose note by R.R. James relating to visiting St George’s, articles written for the Gazette and H.M. Page.

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