An Introduction to Surgery (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from An Introduction to Surgery<br><br>The excellent surgical textbooks now available for the use of students have given rise to some doubts as to the need for any further instruction by means of systematic surgical lectures.<br><br>My own view is decidedly in favour of a course of lectures, provided that they are not mere abstracts from the textbooks, but are directed rather towards those main principles of diagnosis and treatment that are based on a sound knowledge of pathology. They should be aids to the student in thinking out for himself those pathological and diagnostic problems that are presented to him in the wards and in the textbooks. In order to do this, he must study these general principles and understand the value of their universal application in so-called "special" regions, that is, to diseases affecting any portion of the body. As soon as the general principles are understood, and their applicability realized, the student ceases to be overwhelmed by the masses of detail presented to him, and begins to feel an interest in subjects which before seemed surrounded by insurmountable difficulties.<br><br>It has been the chief object of my own lectures, of which the present book is an abstract, to emphasize the importance of these general principles, and the fragmentary and dogmatic character of the teaching is due to the fact that my only intention is to provide a supplement to, not a substitute for, the standard textbooks.<br><br>So many students and friends have begged me to publish my views on surgery, that I have been encouraged to express them in this form. It would have been impossible for me to do so in the limited time at my disposal but for the invaluable help given me by Dr. Boswell of Hartlepool, on whom I depended for the correction and revision of my rough proofs, and by Mr. F. C. Pybus, Surgical Registrar to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, to whom I am indebted for the greater number of the illustrations.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.