Book Description

Excerpt from The Spleen and Some of Its Diseases: Being the Bradshaw Lecture of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 1920 This book contains the material upon which I based the Bradshaw Lecture delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in December, 1920. The surgery of the spleen has hitherto enjoyed only a very restricted field. The removal of the enlarged or injured organ, or of the normal organ whose pedicle has twisted, or the opening of abscesses or cysts within the spleen, has been all that it was possible to do. But in recent years the part played by the spleen in many other diseases has gradually been recognized, and an extension of surgical treatment to cases of cirrhosis of the liver, pernicious anaemia, haemolytic jaundice, etc., has taken place. We are beginning to realize that the spleen, too, plays its part, perhaps a considerable one, in the etiology of diseases whose most conspicuous symptoms are evoked by associated or consecutive affections of other organs. We can no longer consider diseases which affect one abdominal organ as being restricted to that organ. In the provocation and in the development of the morbid affections of any of these viscera, many of them may take a share. The spleen, which has been little regarded in this connection, may now justly claim a measure of attention. I am much indebted to Dr. Gruner for his help in the preparation of the diagrams, and of the list of references; and, generally, for his wise counsel. He is in charge of my private laboratory, and the interstices of my surgical life are filled in by visits to him there, and by most helpful discussions at all times. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com 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.