John Syng Dorsey

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Syng Dorsey

John Syng Dorsey (born December 23, 1783 in Philadelphia , † November 12, 1818 ibid) was an American surgeon and professor in Philadelphia. With Elements of Surgery he wrote the first American textbook for surgery . Despite its historical importance and rich sources , it is little known in both Europe and the United States .

Life

The middle name Syng refers to Dorsey's uncle Philip Syng Physick (1768-1837), who held the first surgical chair in the United States in Philadelphia and is considered the "father of American surgery". At the age of eleven, Dorsey assisted him in removing a urinary stone . Physick entrusted his nephew with the operation reports . At the age of 14, Dorsey recorded - precisely and clearly - the plastic covering of an injury-related leg ulcer . By the age of 19 he had completed all the courses required by the university, two years before the minimum time. He had also completed his doctoral thesis for the MD .

Visit Europe

Since he was too young to have his own medical practice , he traveled to Europe in October 1803. In London he heard among others the chemist Humphry Davy - who unfortunately did not talk about his experience with nitrous oxide ; Dorsey would probably have done it clinically and saved the world 50 years without anesthesia . In Paris he met Joseph-Ignace Guillotin , whom he described as “a venerable-looking older man and old friend of Dr. Franklin ” .

“As for French surgery, I learned nothing from it. The hospitals are large, but not as clean as they should be. Of all the cruel operations that I have witnessed, none have caused me as much agony as the one ( moxibustion ) that Dubois carried out at Tic douloureux . "

- John Syng Dorsey

He returned to America on board the Old Tom .

Philadelphia

On October 25, 1804, he landed at Hampton Roads . He immediately opened a practice in his hometown. Not yet 24 years old, he was appointed honorary professor by the University of Pennsylvania in 1807 . He lectured with his uncle. The lectures helped him overcome a language disorder and earned him an income of $ 1,000 in 1809 ; He received $ 2,200 from his medical practice.

Appointed to the chair of anatomy , he said in his inaugural lecture on November 2, 1818:

“Man is rightly regarded as the perfected animal; but some of the species of animals below him surpass him. He can neither rise into the sky with the eagles nor plow through the depths of the oceans with the finned packs. Its sense of smell is less keen than that of the greyhound, its eye less penetrating than that of the hawk. The elephant is superior to him in strength and the reindeer in agility. The reasons are obvious: His mental powers make such abilities superfluous and yet subordinate them to his command. "

- John Syng Dorsey

That same evening, Dorsey developed a fever , probably from typhoid . Ten days later he died at the age of 35.

Elements of Surgery

Illustration from the 2nd edition of Elements of Surgery (1818)

Philadelphia had two medical colleges with nearly 500 students. For budding doctors and surgeons, the city was America's most important training center . This is probably one of the reasons why Dorsey turned to students with his two-volume book Elements of Surgery . For many years it was the only textbook in American universities. Several new editions appeared in 1818 and 1828.

family

Dorsey married Maria Ralston in 1807, daughter of a wealthy businessman. The marriage resulted in two daughters and the son Robert. One of the descendants is Bessie Gardner (1864–1949), who married Alfred I. du Pont in 1887 .

Honors

In 1814 he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society .

estate

Dorsey's lectures , medical histories, and liquidations are preserved.

Bessie Gardner also received Dorsey's poems with notes from Robert Dorsey.

Foresight

“An American, even if he works with some disadvantages in the production of such an elementary publication, is in one respect better qualified than a European surgeon. It is at least - or should be - strictly neutral and takes over from all countries their respective achievements. Britain and France were at the forefront of the cultivation of surgery; but their lack of philosophical courtesy and openness has in some ways seriously damaged progress. Some of Desault's best writings have never been translated into English, and those of John Hunter are unknown or disregarded on the continent. The spirit of hostile rivalry that extends from the battlefields to science cannot remain without adversely affecting practical surgery. "

- John Syng Dorsey

Works

Original edition of the Elements of Surgery
  • mit Samuel Cooper: A dictionary of practical surgery: containing a complete exhibition of the present state of the principles and practice of surgery, collected from the best and most original sources of information, and illustrated by critical remarks . Philadelphia 1810.
  • Elegiac poem, on the death of Dr. Benjamin Rush: professor of the institutes and practice of medicine and of clinical practice in the University of Pennsylvania; who fell a victim to the prevailing typhus fever, on the 19th of April, 1813 . Philadelphia 1813.
  • Miscellaneous manuscripts, 1816.
  • Account of a large wen , successfully exstirpated by John Syng Dorsey, MD Read , Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 1 (1817), p. 19.
  • Inguinal aneurysm cured by tying the external iliac artery in the pelvis . Philadelphia 1811.
  • Syllabus or heads of lectures on the materia medica: delivered in the University of Pennsylvania . Philadelphia 1817.
  • Elements of surgery for the use of students . Philadelphia 1813. (Digitized Volume 1 , Volume 2 )
  • Daybooks 1805-1817 .

literature

  • John Agg, Moses Thomas, James Maxwell: The ocean harp, a poem, in two cantos: with some smaller pieces; and a monody on the death of John Syng Dorsey, MD Philadelphia 1819. Reprinted Book On Demand Ltd. 2013.
  • Leonard Freeman: John Syng Dorsey . Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics, 1933.
  • Ronald D. Barley : John Syng Dorsey and the Elements of Surgery . The first American textbook on surgery appeared 200 years ago . Chirurgische Allgemeine , Volume 14, Issue 9 (2013), pp. 556–558.
  • Jacob J. Janeway: A brief memoir of the life and character, religious view, and death-bed scene of John Syng Dorsey . New Brunswick NJ 1853.
  • Albert Robin: John Syng Dorsey. The secret of his success . The Johns Hopkins Hospital bulletin 19 (1908), 206.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ W. Roy Smythe: The first American textbook of surgery . Annals of Surgery 237 (2003), pp. 580-590.
  2. ↑ Notes from cases of surgery which have occurr'd in the practice of Dr. PS Physick, 1798-1811 (WorldCat)
  3. ↑ Dissertation: An Essay on the Lithotriptic Virtues of the Gastric Liquor . Philadelphia 1802.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Ronald D. Gerste (2013)
  5. ↑ Lectures on surgery by Philip S. Physick and John S. Dorsey, 1811-1812 (WorldCat)
  6. ↑ a b Poems (WorldCat)
  7. ^ Member History: John S. Dorsey. American Philosophical Society, accessed July 19, 2018 .
  8. ^ Dorsey's lectures (WorldCat)
  9. ↑ Lecture notes 1817/18 (WorldCat)
  10. ↑ Ledger 1804-1818 (WorldCat)
  11. ↑ Fee book 1805–1817 (WorldCat)
personal data
SURNAME Dorsey, John Syng
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American surgeon and professor
DATE OF BIRTH December 23, 1783
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia
DATE OF DEATH November 12, 1818
Place of death Philadelphia