Surgical Case-histories from the Past

This collection of case reports has been grouped into four sections. The first group contains what are now often referred to as major breakthroughs - the first report of an operation under general anaesthesia, the first cardiac massage or the first resection of an aortic aneurysm. The second group is comprised of descriptions by surgeons in battle, often struggling with scanty facilities under poor conditions to deal with large numbers of casualties. The third group is a collecion of emergencies and disasters, and the final section is made up of a miscellany of interesting patients, pathologies and operations. Each chapter gives some biographical information about the surgeon, and some of the events leading up to the particular operation.