["De optima lithotomiam administrandi ratione" : A dissertation from 1713 about the various possibilities of the cystotomy by Johann Michael Eisenbarth, the son of the well-known travelling physician Johann Andreas Eisenbarth (1663-1727)]. / "De optima lithotomiam administrandi ratione" : Eine Dissertation aus dem Jahre 1713 über die verschiedenen Möglichkeiten des Steinschnitts von Johann Michael Eisenbarth, dem Sohn des bekannten Wanderarztes Johann Andreas Eisenbarth (1663­1727).

The present dissertation was submitted in 1713 at the University of Halle as part of the requirements to obtain the "licentiat". The author was Johann Michael Eisenbarth, the oldest son of the well-known physician Johann Andreas Eisenbarth. The dissertation delivers an overview over the history of the cystotomy, leading back to antiquity. In sixty paragraphs, the author dealt with different issues, such as diagnosis, preparation, and aftercare of patients with urinary bladder stones. However, the center of the thesis is the critical evaluation of all surgical methods known three hundred years ago.

First surgical care of Mexican children in the nineteenth century.

Here, two papers are presented, which constitute the first reports of surgical procedures in Mexican children performed at the 19th century. The two publications refer to surgical operations for the extraction of bladder stones. At that time, there was no anesthesia, so part of the description alludes to the suffering of the patients and the operative difficulties. The first case, is referred to as a lithotomy in a 17-year-old girl, performed by surgeon José Victoriano Guerrero in Guadalajara in 1822. The publication is not an academic report, but a pamphlet written as a gift to Emperor Augustin I to celebrate his ascension to the throne. The second work, is a lateral lithotomy in a 5-year-old boy, published by Dr. Luis Jecker in the first issue of the Periódico de la Academia de Medicina de Mégico in 1836.

Se presentan dos trabajos que constituyen los primeros informes de procedimientos quirúrgicos en niños mexicanos en el siglo XIX. Las dos publicaciones se refieren a operaciones para la extracción de cálculos vesicales. En ese tiempo no existía anestesia, por lo que parte de la descripción incluye el sufrimiento de los pacientes y las dificultades operatorias. El primer caso está referido como una litotomía en una joven de 17 años, operada por el cirujano José Victoriano Guerrero en Guadalajara en 1822. La publicación no constituye un informe académico, sino un folleto escrito como un obsequio para el emperador Agustín I para celebrar su ascensión al trono. El segundo trabajo es una talla lateral en un niño de 5 años edad, publicado por el doctor Luis Jecker en el primer número del Periódico de la Academia de Medicina de Mégico en 1836.

Pediatric vesicolithotomy from ancient India to Greece, Arabia and the western world.

Surgeons removed bladder stones by perineal lithotomy in ancient times. The first surgeon who dared to invade a body cavity knew human anatomy and was skilled in the use of surgical instruments. The operation probably originated in India since the Sushruta Samhita, a surgical text, antedates Hippocrates by several hundred years. Sushruta's knowledge of bladder of stones, surgical complications and instrumentation identifies him as originator of vesicolithotomy. Why did Hippocrates advise his students to leave operations for bladder stones to practitioners who were skilled in the art? Who were these practitioners and how did knowledge of vesicolithotomy reach Greece from India? Our research suggests that the operation came to Greece from India over ancient trade routes and with surgeons who accompanied Alexander the Great's army. The Sushruta Samhita was translated in Arabic and may have reached Europe during the dark ages by way of Arabian surgeons such as Albucasis. Chelseldon, an eighteenth century English surgeon, brought Sushruta's vesicolithotomy to a peak of perfection.

Medical missionaries in China: John Glasgow Kerr (1824-1901) and cutting for the stone.

With the introduction of Western medicine into China by Anglo-American medical missionaries in the early 19th century, Reverend Dr Peter Parker at the Canton Ophthalmic Hospital pioneered surgical operations in Chinese patients. The subsequent development of surgery for bladder stones at this institute by Parker's successor Dr John Kerr and colleagues is described.

Ammonius Lithotomos (3rd Century BC), the Alexandrian Innovative Surgeon Who Introduced Lithoclastic Cystotomy.

Alexandrian surgeon Ammonius Lithotomos, was the first to introduce lithoclastic cystotomy during the 3rd century BC in order to relieve a bladder's stone blockage. He had used a metallic hook or crotchet to remove the stone, which was named at the era "thrombus" of the urinary tract.

Extracción de un cálculo vesical a un niño según el relato del médico renacentista Cristóbal Méndez / Extraction of a bladder stone in a child as described by the renaissance physician Cristóbal Méndez

Introducción: El médico renacentista español Cristóbal Méndez (1500-1553) relata en su obra Libro del exercicio y de sus provechos la extracción de un grueso cálculo de la vejiga de un niño menor de 5 años en el México colonial, siendo la primera descripción de un procedimiento quirúrgico en América. Material y métodos: Recopilación de datos biográficos sobre Cristóbal Méndez. Lectura del facsímil electrónico del Libro del exercicio y de sus provechos. Análisis de los aspectos históricos sobre la litotomía perineal y etiología de la litiasis vesical. Resultados: En el capítulo 7 del tercer tratado (página 120) Méndez narra la extracción del cálculo vesical a un niño llamado «Villaseñor». Emplea la palabra «abrir» para describir el procedimiento, correspondiente a una litotomía más que a una necropsia. Atribuye la etiología al exceso de movimientos tras la ingesta y apunta una posible etiología hereditaria. Discusión: La litotomía perineal era una práctica habitual en niños de la antigüedad por la alta incidencia de litiasis vesical. La técnica era muy cruenta y fue mejorando a lo largo de siglos. Conclusiones: La intervención descrita por Méndez al niño Villaseñor corresponde con mayor probabilidad a una litotomía perineal. En su etiología pudo intervenir una causa congénita

Introduction: In his Libro del exercicio y desus provechos (Book of exercise and profits), the Spanish Renaissance physician Christopher Mendez (1500-1553) describes extracting a bulk stone from the bladder of a child younger than 5 years in the land of colonial Mexico. This is the first description of a surgical procedure in America. Materials and methods: Biographical data were collected on Christopher Mendez. The electronic facsimile of the Book of exercise and profits was read. The historical aspects of perineal lithotomy and etiology of bladder stones were analyzed. Results: In chapter seven of the third treatise (page 120), Mendez speaks about the removal of a bladder stone in a boy named "Villaseñor". It uses the word "open" to describe the procedure, corresponding to a lithotomy more than a necropsy. It attributes the etiology of excess movements after ingestion and suggests a possible hereditary etiology. Discussion: Perineal lithotomy was a common practice in ancient times for children due to the high incidence of bladder stones. The technique was very invasive and was improved over the centuries. Conclusions: The surgery described by Mendez for the child called Villaseñor most likely corresponds to a perineal lithotomy. A congenital cause could play a role in its etiology

[Richard Strauß: a contribution on the occasion of his 150th birthday from an urological point of view]. / Richard Strauß: Ein Beitrag zu seinem 150. Geburtstag aus urologischer Sicht.

Richard Strauß is one of the most important composers of the first half of the 20th century. In this article, his life is represented with special emphasis on the points of contact with urology and on the field of conflict of the time. We give a detailed description of the composer's urological illness, which finally lead to his death. The last works of the master, composed at the beginning and during his last illness, are appreciated as touching creations of his parting. Finally, we compare the treatment of the prominent patient with the contemporary level of urology.

Extraction of a bladder stone in a child as described by the renaissance physician Cristóbal Méndez.

INTRODUCTION: in his Libro del exercicio y de sus provechos (Book of exercise and profits), the Spanish Renaissance physician Christopher Mendez (1500-1553) describes extracting a bulk stone from the bladder of a child younger than 5 years in the land of colonial Mexico. This is the first description of a surgical procedure in America. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Biographical data were collected on Christopher Mendez. The electronic facsimile of the Book of exercise and profits was read. The historical aspects of perineal lithotomy and etiology of bladder stones were analyzed. RESULTS: In chapter seven of the third treatise (page 120), Mendez speaks about the removal of a bladder stone in a boy named «Villaseñor¼. It uses the word «open¼ to describe the procedure, corresponding to a lithotomy more than a necropsy. It attributes the etiology of excess movements after ingestion and suggests a possible hereditary etiology. DISCUSSION: Perineal lithotomy was a common practice in ancient times for children due to the high incidence of bladder stones. The technique was very invasive and was improved over the centuries. CONCLUSIONS: The surgery described by Mendez for the child called Villaseñor most likely corresponds to a perineal lithotomy. A congenital cause could play a role in its etiology.

[THE BLADDER STONE OF CARDINAL PIETRO BASADONNA (1617-1684) IN THE WORDS OF HIS PHYSICIAN ROMOLO SPEZIOLI (1642-1723)]. / DURA LA SORTE, S'ELLA É DI PIETRA: LA CALCOLOSI VESCICALE DEL CARDINALE PIETRO BASADONNA (1617-1684) NELLE PAROLE DI ROMOLO SPEZIOLI (1642-1723), SUO MEDICO CURANTE.

At the death of Cardinal Pietro Basadonna in 1684, his personal physician Romolo Spezioli wrote a report describing the disease, circumstances of death and autopsy findings of the illustrious prelate. This document, kept in the Biblioteca Civica at Jesi, is a significant attestation of the medical terminology and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures of the time. Even with the constraints that interpretation of a clinical account dating back over 300 years inevitably imposes, perusal of this report suggests that Cardinal Basadonna's demise could have been due to septic shock, consequent to a urinary infection caused by a bulky bladder stone.

Jacob Aall's illness and death.

Jacob Aall (1773-1844) was one of Norway's most notable nation-builders at the beginning of the 19th century. He owned and operated a large ironworks, participated in political life and was an historian, writer and translator of sagas. In the last 15 years of his life, he suffered greatly from pain attacks. After his death, an autopsy was performed and the doctors found a stone the size of a hen's egg, which weighed more than 90 g. The stone was variously described as a kidney stone and a bladder stone. Aall had travelled to Copenhagen in 1837 and consulted the Danish doctor Ludvig Levin Jacobson (1783-1843), known for his instrument for crushing bladder stones, a new and revolutionary treatment method. But some disagreement appears to have arisen between them about the treatment. A year later Aall consulted Christen Heiberg (1799-1872), a professor of surgery in Christiania (now Oslo). Heiberg also examined Aall's bladder and found «no cause for alarm¼. Aall adhered to a strict diet, including drinking an Italian «spa water¼ daily which he obtained in bottles from Trieste. However, he showed no great improvement. To all appearances, it was kidney stones that afflicted him in his last years and which finally ended his life. This article gives a full portrayal of the course of his illness with an authentic description from an age when there were no treatment possibilities for kidney stones.

The use of lithotomy by missionary surgeons in nineteenth-century China.

Modern medicine in China owes its origins to Anglo-American medical missionaries who introduced Western medicine into China in the early nineteenth century. In 1835 the first medical missionary to China, the Reverend Dr Peter Parker, founded the Canton Ophthalmic Hospital where he pioneered lithotomy and other surgical operations for Chinese patients. This paper chronicles the subsequent development of surgery for bladder stones at that institution by Dr Parker, Dr John Kerr and their successors. Modifications of technique and improvisations by these dedicated practitioners under less-than-optimal conditions and in an unfamiliar population, provide a unique and interesting insight into medicine of the time as practiced in China.

"To illustrate and increase Chyrurgerie": Ambroise Paré (1510-1590).

The quincentenary of Ambroise Paré's birth celebrates a man who rose from a humble origin to become the leading surgeon of the Renaissance. Now remembered as a celebrated war surgeon, especially for his gentle treatment of gunshot wounds, it is generally forgotten that Paré also treated children and wrote about them. Despite his little schooling, Paré was appointed as the Head of the French College of Surgeons in 1567. Paré's contributions to child health include conservative management of childhood deformities, such as clubfoot and scoliosis. He also gave descriptions of conjoined twins and intersex. Paré managed childhood trauma and bladder stones using devices that he invented. This article will briefly demonstrate Paré's wide-ranging contribution to pediatric surgery, adding new insights and material to earlier work.

Cutting for stone: Roman lithotomy instruments in the Museo Nazionale Romano.

Bladder stones, one of the scourges of the past, have been recorded as far back as 6,500 BC. Lithotomy was famously proscribed in the Hippocratic Oath, but it was certainly being undertaken in Hellenistic Alexandria by the 3rd century BC. However, the earliest surviving description of the operation is that of Celsus in the early 1st century AD, while identifiable instrumentation currently dates between the 2nd and early 5th century AD. Finds from Rimini, Marcianopolis, Ephesus and Cyrene illustrate how widespread the operation was at the time of the Roman Empire, but the majority of lithotomy instruments, of which those in the Museo Nazionale Romano are an important part, have been discovered in Rome itself doubtless a reflection of the size of the city's medical 'market'.