Clinical surgical report for the year 1870 / by George Buchanan.

  • George Buchanan
Date:
[1871]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Clinical surgical report for the year 1870 / by George Buchanan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    2/16 (page 2)
    \ From the table of the principal accidents admitted, it will be seen that there were 136 cases of fracture of various bones, classified as simple or compound, of which no less than 29 were of the thigh. Few hospitals in the kingdom afford such opportunities to the students to see surgical practice. The operation table, given further on,shows that there were 135 operations of various degrees of importance performed during the year. Of these 130 were successful, and only five died,—a mortality of 1 in 27, or about 3f per cent. It is true that many of the operations were of a compara¬ tively trifling kind, but these are counterbalanced by the number of very serious cases,—as, for instance, amputation of the thigh, nine cases, with no deaths at all. I know of no hospital the operating table of which, during a year’s prac¬ tice, including cases of all kinds, can show success superior to that above quoted. Such a result may have arisen from accidental circumstances, still 135 is a fair number from which to draw an average, and it must be matter of con¬ gratulation to all connected with our Infirmary that a building containing on an average 600 inmates should afford such good results after operation. A number of the minor operations, such as amputation of the fingers and toes, and reducing dislocations of the upper extremity, were performed by the house-surgeon, and the patients were seldom admitted to residence,—still the pperations are included, in order to give a correct statement oi the amount of surgical practice coming under the eye of a single surgeon. My house-surgeons were, from 1st January, 1870, till 1st May, Mr Henry E. Clarke, my present demonstrator ; from 1st May till 1st November, Mr William J. Morris, now of Liverpool; from 1st November till 1st January, 1871, Mr William McGregor, my present house- surgeon, to whom I am indebted for the statistical tables accompanying this paper, compiled with great care from the Infirmary journals. In the construction ot the tables, a considerable num¬ ber of minor operations have been omitted, such as opening