Copy 1

A critical enquiry into the present state of surgery.

  • Samuel Sharp
Date:
1761
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A critical enquiry into the present state of surgery. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    procure tis any one Advantage that we do not derive from Sitting. Another Circumflance in which they differ from us, is the Pofture of their Patients. In England, we generally place them almoft horizontally, only raifing their Heads a little on a Pillow : In France, their Bodies are railed fo high, as to make about an Angle of forty-five Degrees. I cannot fay, I have heard any Reafon afiigned for this great Ele¬ vation of the Body ; but, perhaps, it may be done with a view to promote the falling down of the Stone towards the Neck of the Blad¬ der. I will not take upon me to fay, that no good ever arifes in this refpedt from the Elevation of the Body ; though I think that the Difficulty of extracting a Stone, is feldom owing to its diftance from the Neck of the Bladder; and when a Bladder does happen to be large, and the Stone lies towards its Fundus, a long Forceps is always a Remedy 5 but when a Stone lies in the anterior Part of the Bladder, bulging forwards beyond the Pro/late, in one of the Sinufes of that Part ; the laying hold of it is often embarraffing $ and, if we admit that a Stone may roll about the Bladder eafily, perhaps this Pofture of the Body will often fling it into pne of thefe