'Proper to the duty of a chirurgeon': Ambroise Pare and sixteenth century paediatric surgery
Year: 2004
Type: article
Abstract: Ambroise Pare ´rose from humble origins to become surgeon to four kings of France.Though he is remembered mainly for his work as a military surgeon and for his advocacy of podalic version, his contribution to surgery was far greater than this. 1 In France his works were a mainstay of surgical practice for 250 years.To illustrate his contributions to paediatric surgery we have translated excerpts from the 1849 facsimile copy of his Oeuvres of 1585, 2 particularly the seventeenth book which deals with the means and artificial devices used to treat those who have natural defects or defects caused by an accident.We also borrow from the posthumous English translation by Thomas Johnson, 1633, edited in the 1950s by Geoffrey Keynes.3 Pare ´'s aim was to raise the reputation of surgery to honour and esteem.He wrote: '. . .one must not make varus and valgus children walk until the joints are well strengthened, so that they do not dislocate.And when one wants to make the children walk, one should split open some high shoes,
Authors: A N Williams, J Williams
Institution: Northampton General Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2166029792