Author: Adams, William
Title: A Sketch Of The Principles And Practice Of Subcutaneous Surgery, Being The Oration Delivered Before The Medical Society Of London, At Their Eighty Fourth Anniversary, March 9, 1857
Description: John Churchill, New Burlington Street, 1857, 1st edition. Original blind stamped cloth, VG. viii+68pp+32pp publishers catalogue, corners bumped & cloth a little rubbed & worn at the edges, Ex Library [ Royal College of Surgeons Ireland ] with their blind stamp to the title & margins of the text, a nice copy. Hardback , no dustjacket. ¶ The text of a lecture given by William Adams [ 1820 - 1900 ], orthopaedic surgeon in which he details his methods of 'Subcutaneous Surgery'. Adams was a strong proponent of the idea that post operative infection was cause by prolonged exposure of an open wound to the air & his method of surgery involved the smallest possibe incision. Thus he ( like many others ) was slow to adopt the antiseptic methods of Lister, however his belief in his methods would see him later develop a small knife for performing a subcutaneous fasciotomy.

Keywords: surgery, medicine, health, orthopaedics