Lister, 1827-1912 : a house surgeon's memories / [St. Clair Thomson].

  • Thomson, St. Clair, 1859-1943.
Date:
[1937]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Lister, 1827-1912 : a house surgeon's memories / [St. Clair Thomson]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    a fish out of water. He appreciated wit, but he was seldom humorous and was never what might be called funny or jolly. It might be more truly said of him than of the race to which it is generally applied that ‘he joked wi’ deeficulty.” This natural dignity and reserve, which never left him, largely explains why he never had a large, much less a fashionable, practice. He had a steady, average surgical connection, but it was furnished largely by practitioners who had been his pupils and who all, without exception, remained his life-long disciples and admirers. Others, and the public generally, preferred less eminent but more genial surgeons who were easier of approach. I, myself, always felt that his soul was like a star and dwelt apart,” but I can only add that no teacher, no friend, no man I have ever known has left his impress on me as Lister has done. To none of them do I feel the debt I owe to him for his example of veracity of thought and word, his patience and constancy in the pursuit of truth, his eagerness to instruct his pupils, his long- suffering with stupidity, his tenderness to the poor, and his gentleness to the sick and maimed. Every student recognized that he was in the presence of a great personality, but, looking back, it is astounding that we never realized then that his principles were creating a new world of medicine. Even his favourite House Surgeon, Sir Hector Cameron, said, we little realized how great their value was (i.e.y his lessons), or what was to be their unspeakable fruitful¬ ness in the fullness of time.” It might be asked what then did we think about it? I would answer that we thought we were in the presence of a great and good man who taught us the founda¬ tions of physiological surgery, and who had evolved a technique of wound dressing, based on demonstrable scientific tests, which would ensure their healing by first intention and so abolish suppuration, septicaemia, pyemia and other “wound diseases.” But we never foresaw that this would safely open up to the surgeon all the cavities of the body and, within little more than a decade, enable him to carry out as many new and undreamt of life-saving operations in one afternoon, in any operating theatre of the world, than were wont to be performed or attempted in a month when I was a student. He was a slow, careful, and deliberate operator and was accustomed to point out that general anaesthesia had abolished the need for the speed of Liston and those before him, when students used to look on at operations with watch in hand, so as to time and contrast the records of various surgeons. Although muscular and well-built, untiring and never ill, he had the odd characteristic of perspiring freely with any extra physical exertion. When operating his head and neck would stream with perspiration. It was therefore the regular custom for a nurse to stand always at attention with an out-spread clean towel in her hands. Lister might use up two or three during a long operation. XXlll.