A Dictionary of the History of Medicine

Anton Sebastian

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781351469999
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Medical Theory, Practice & Reference

This is a unique, extensively illustrated dictionary of terms, people, events, and dates spanning the entire history of medicine. It is a monumental work of scholarship totaling some 700 double-column pages with a large number of rare and exceptional illustrations from many original sources painstakingly compiled over years of far-searching inquiry involving more than 5, 000 books and hundreds of journals. It is a major resource of hard-to-find information about notable medical figures, instruments, conditions, procedures, and dates and a storehouse of captivating anecdotes and background material. The book contains a wealth of material for concise historical introductions to a broad range of subjects and is the sine qua non authority on both well and little known facts of medical history. With this single volume-an unprecedented tour de force representing more than 7, 000 hours of exhaustive research-clinicians and researchers from all fields of medicine can quickly and easily find authoritative, detailed definitions and descriptions, with dates, of medical terms and of the people and events contributing to the development of medicine from earliest times to the present day. The entries range widely from such as abacterial pyuria to zygote, including Latin and Greek origins of terms, compact biographies with dates, eponymic information of all kinds, and rarely seen drawings and photographs of antique medical instruments and little-known conditions.

A

Aaron of Alexandria Jewish physician and presbyter in the 7th century, who is supposed to have written 30 books on medicine in Syrian, many now lost. Most of his remaining works compiled, from Greek, were called the Pandects of Aaron and were translated into Arabic by the Syrian Jew, Maseijawaihi, in AD 683. Some of Aaron’s work was cited by the Arabian physician, Rhazes (850–932) who mentioned Aaron as one of the first to describe smallpox and measles, which were brought into Egypt following the conquest by the Arabians in AD 640. The first three chapters of the first tract in Haly Abbas (930–994) famous book Al-Kitabul-Maliki also contains some discussions on the writings of Aaron along with those of Hippocrates (460–377 BC), Galen (AD 129–200), Oribasius (325–403) and Paul of Aegina (625–690).

Abactus [Latin: abigere, to drive out] Term used by Roman physicians for miscarriage.

Abadie sign Spasm of levator palpebrae muscle of the eye as a sign in exophthalmic goiter, described at Paris, France in 1877 by Charles A. Abadie (1842–1932), ophthalmologist.

Abaptiston or Ababtista [Greek: a, negative + babtiston, to sink under] Ancient surgical instrument in the form of a circular saw described by Galen (129–200), Fabricius ab Aquapendente (1537–1619) and Johann Schultes (1595–1645). It was used to trephine the cranium. An earlier form of the instrument was cone-shaped so as to prevent the instrument sinking into the dura mater, hence its name.

Abbasides Second line of rulers and descendants of Abul Abbas, the first Saracen Caliph of the Eastern Caliphate of Baghdad, from AD 750–1250. Abul Abbas on his accession transferred the Caliphate to Baghdad which became a great city of science and literature. At one time it had 860 licensed physicians with numerous hospitals. The dynasty of Abbasides included Harun-Al-Rashid, Al-Mansur and Al-Mamun (AD 813–833) who encouraged the collection and translation of Greek and Roman medical classics into Arabic. Their efforts, especially those of Almamon or Al-Mamun, the son of Caliph Harun-Al-Rashid, resulted in the preservation of the earlier works of Hippocrates (460–377 BC), Galen (AD 129–200), Paul of Aegina (625–690), Ptolemy and Euclid through turbulent times in history. According to the Fihrist (Index of Sciences), compiled in AD 987, ten of Hippocrates’ works were translated by Hunayan ibn Ishaq or Johannitus (809–873) and his pupil Isa ibnYahya and the 16 books of Galen were translated by Hunayan and his pupil, Hubaysh ibn el-Hassan, who was also his nephew.

Abbe, Ernest (1840–1905) A German physicist from Eisenach who became professor at the university of Jena in 1870 before he was made director of the Astronomical and meteorological Institute in 1878. He was partner at the optical company of Carl Zeiss (1816–1888) who first brought the improved microscope to the market. Abbe modernised the microscope by adding the apochromatic objective, and the oil immersion method (first suggested by John Ware Stephenson) in 1878. He also introduced the sub-stage condenser in 1886. At the death of his partner Carl Zeiss in 1888, Abbe became the owner of the optical works. He improved the technique of phase contrast microscopy in 1892.

Abbe technique See Abbe, Robert.

Abbe, Robert (1851–1928) Surgeon from New York, USA who introduced the use of catgut for suturing the intestines in 1889. He also devised the method of dilating the esophageal stricture in a retrograde fashion by opening the stomach to receive a ‘string saw’ from the buccal end and cutting the remaining tissue that contributed to the stricture. The Abbe technique was named after him.

Abbe technique for division of esophageal stricture. Hochberg, LA, 1960, Thoracic Surgery before the 20th Century. Courtesy of Vantage Press, New York

Abbott Laboratories See Abbott, Wallace Calvin.

Abbott, Alexander Crever (1860–1935) Bacteriologist from Philadelphia, USA who designed a process for detecting spores in bacteria with the help of methylene blue and fuchsin.

Abbott, Edville Gerhardt (1871–1938) Orthopedic surgeon from Portland, Maine, USA who designed a treatment for scoliosis using bandages and a frame, followed by a series of plasterjackets.

Abbott, Maude Elizabeth Seymour (1869–1940) Canadian pioneer in the field of pediatric cardiology She published the results of a study into congenital heart disease that showed that it was associated with an 18% risk of other malformations. Soon after the death of Sir William Osier (1849–1919) in 1919, Abbott published a memorial volume to his work. She is also famous for her promotion of medical education for women in Canada.

Abbott, Wallace Calvin (1857–1921) Founder of the Abbott Laboratories. Born into poverty in Vermont, USA, Abbott was able to fulfill his ambition of going to medical school only at the age of 22. After obtaining his medical degree from Michigan University in 1885 he borrowed a small sum of money from a friend and startedThe People’s Drug Store in Ravenswood. He sold his own preparations, such as toothache powders, laxatives and cold remedies and in the early 1900s introduced a sugar-coating technique for tablets. His company later expanded to become the Abbott Alkaloidal Company and by 1930 it had grown into the pharmaceutical giant, Abbott Laboratories.

Abderhalden, Emil (1877–1950) Pupil of Emil Fischer (1852–1919) and professor of physiology at the University of Halle, Germany. He completed a bibliography of alcoholism in 1897 and was the first to describe familial cystinosis in 1903. He edited the series Handbuch der biologischenArbeitsmethoden, 1920–1939.

Abderhalden–Fanconi Syndrome or Familial cystinosis was first described by Emil Abderhalden (1877–1950) in 1903. The occurrence of glycosuria and phosphaturia in the condition was described by Guido Fanconi (1892–1979) in 1936. See cystinosis, Fanconi syndrome.

Abdominal [Latin: abdomen, belly].

Abdominal aneurysm [Latin: abdomen, belly; Greek: aneurys-ma, a dilatation; French: eurys, wide] A sac formed by the dilatation of the wall of the abdominal aorta. The first successful resection of an abdominal aneurysm and repair with a homologous graft was performed by Charles Dubost (b 1914) of Paris, France in 1948. See aortic aneurysm.

Abdominal angina [Latin: abdomen, belly + angere, to strangle] A form of spasmodic abdominal pain due to mesenteric vascular insufficiency was first described by J. Schnitzler in 1901.

Abdominal hernia [Latin: abdomen, belly + hernia, rupture] Protrusion of a structure through an opening in the abdominal wall. One of the first monographs on abdominal hernia was written by Thomas Pridgin Teale (1801–1868) of Leeds, UK in 1846. The Ball operation for the radical cure of abdominal hernia was described in 1887 by Charles Bent Ball (1851–1916), surgeon and proctologist from Dublin, Ireland.

Abdominal hysterectomy See hysterectomy.

Abdominal injuries [Latin: abdomen, belly; French: in, negative +jus (jur-), right] Henri de Mondeville (1260–1320), a surgeon to King Philip-le-Bel of France, was one of the first to write on abdominal injuries c.1306. In his treatise he advised that if the large intestines were wounded they should be sutured ‘as ferriers sew a skin’. The explorer and doctor, David Livingstone (1813–1873), in his experience during his African travels, described the successful surgical treatment of extruded abdominal viscera due to injury by placing a gourd shell or calabash and sewing it to the abdominal wall. Many of the patients treated in this manner were observed to do well and return to their normal life. The repair of abdominal injuries has also been described by the ancient Hindus, who excelled in surgery. The works of the Hindu Brahmin Susruta, written c. AD 500, amongst its hundreds of surgical procedures, describes the surgical treatment of protrusion of intestines. Abdominal injuries became a focus of interest owing to their common occurrence during the wars in the preceding three centuries. Sir Cuthbert Wallace’s Abdominal Wounds (1918) is considered to be a classic on the subject and his Surgery of the Abdominal Wounds (1922) is a treasure store of historical information. Another important book, Abdominal Injuries of Warfare, was published by G. Gorden-Taylor in 1939.

Abdominal pregnancy See ectopic pregnancy.

Abdominal surgery [Latin: chirurgia; Greek: cheir, hand + ergon, work] The era of modern abdominal surgery started in the 19th century. The first splenectomy was performed by Carl Friedrich Quittenbaum (1793–1852) of Germany in 1826, but his patient died of shock within six hours. The first splenectomy in England was performed by Sir Thomas Spencer Wells (1818–1897) in 1865 and his patient lived for 6 days. The first successful long-term result of the procedure was achieved by Jules Émile Pean (1830–1898) of Paris, France in 1867. One of the first successful abdominal operations for intussusception was performed by Sir Jonathan Hutchinson (1828–1913) while he was at London Hospital in 1874. The first resection of the stomach for carcinoma was performed by Pean in 1879, but his operation was not successful. The first successful gastric resection was performed by Theodor Billroth (1829–1894) in 1881. Phineas Sanborn Conner of Cincinnati, USA did a complete resection of the stomach in 1884 but his operation was also unsuccessful. Carl Bernhard Schlatter (1864–1934), a Swiss surgeon, performed the first successful total gastrectomy for carcinoma of the stomach in 1897. A procedure of partial gastrectomy for carcinoma of the pyloric end of the stomach was devised by William James Mayo (1861–1939) in 1900. Pólya operation, which is a modification of Billroth operation II, was performed in 1911 by a Hungarian surgeon, Jenö Eugene Alexander Pólya (1876–1944). His operation involved gastrectomy combined with side-to-side anastomosis of the gastric remnant and the duodenum. Polya is supposed to have been killed by Nazis, although his body was never recovered.

Abdominocentesis [Latin: abdomino- ; Greek: kentesis, puncture] See paracentesis abdominis.

Abdominoperineal resection [Latin from Greek: perineon, perinaion] Combined abdominoperineal resection for carcinoma of the rectum was introduced by William Ernest Miles (1869–1947) in 1908. (syn. Miles resection). See Miles operation.

Abducent nerve [Latin: ab, away from + ducere, to lead] (Syn. nervus abducens) The sixth cranial nerve, deriving its name from its relationship to the abductoris oculi or lateral rectus muscle. It was first described by Bartolommeo Eustachio (1524–1574), Italian anatomist.

Abdul-Latif or Abu Mohammed Abdul Latiff ibnjusuf (AD 1161–1231) Arabian scientist and traveler in Egypt during the time of Saladin (1137–1193), the Sultan of Egypt and Syria. He taught medicine at Damascus, Aleppo and Egypt and has been credited with 166 treatises, some of which are on medical topics. He also studied human osteology and found that many of Galen’s (129–200) writings on the subject were inaccurate. During his stay in Egypt he wrote a comprehensive account of the country’s flora and fauna.

Abegg, Richard (1869–1910) Chemist from Danzig, Germany. One of the first to realize the chemical significance of electrons. In 1897 he proposed that the outer electron shell governed the chemical properties of the atom. He also did important work on osmotic pressures and freezing point of dilute solutions. Abegg died in a ballooning accident at Koszalin, Poland.

Abel Method The first chemical extraction of the active principle of the suprarenal gland, performed by John Jacob Abel (1857–1938) of Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1898. He gave the name epinephrine to this extract which is known as adrenaline in Britain.

Abel, Frederick Gottfried (1714–1794) Physician and poet from Halberstadt, Germany who took his medical degree at Königsberg. He published a German translation of Juvenal in 1788.

Abel, John Jacob (1857–1938) Biochemist born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA who graduated from the University of Michigan. After obtaining his PhD from the same university in 1883 he went to Europe where he spent 7 years studying under the foremost scientists in Austria and Germany. He returned to America in 1891 and became professor of therapeutics at Michigan. Aged 36 years he was appointed as the first professor of pharmacology at Johns Hopkins University. His notable contributions to medicine include: construction of the first membrane for artificial kidneys; first extraction of epinephrine (adrenaline), posterior pituitary hormones, hirudin and specific amino acids from the blood; and the first determination of the molecular weight of cholesterol. He was also the first to obtain a crystalline form of insulin, in 1926.

Abella A woman surgeon of the Middle Ages from the School of Salerno, Italy during the reign of Charles of Anjou around AD 1059. She wrote several medical treatises including Treatise deAtra Bili and De Natura Seminis Hominis.

Abengnefil or Aben-Guefit (997–1075) Arabian physician. He wrote a medical treatise which was translated under the title De Virtuitibus Medicinarum et Ciborum and printed at Venice, Italy in 1581.

Aberavon Skull In 1910 Arnalt Jones presented the frontal part of a skull belonging to the Neolithic Period, or later Stone Age, found at Aberavon, south Wales, to the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in London, UK. This and a similar skull found in the same region earlier in 1840, provided additional evidence for the presence of Neolithic man in England. See skull.

Abercrombie, John (1780–1844) Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, he graduated in medicine from Edinburgh University. He had a successful practice in Edinburgh and became surgeon to the Royal Public Dispensary in 1805. He published Observations on the Diseases of the Spinal Marrow (1818), Pathological and Practical Researches on Diseases of the Brain and Spinal Cord (1828), the first book on neu...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z