John Syng Dorsey

John Syng Dorsey (born December 23, 1783 in Philadelphia , † November 12, 1818 ibid) was an American surgeon and university professor in Philadelphia. He wrote with Elements of Surgery the first American textbook for surgery . [1] Despite its historical significance and rich sources , it is barely 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 surgical reports . [2] With 14 years logged Dorsey - precise and clear - the plastic cover an injury-induced leg ulcers . At age 19, he had completed all the courses prescribed by the university, two years before the minimum time. His tooHe had completed a doctoral thesis for the MD . [3]

Visit to Europe

Since he was too young for his own medical practice , he traveled to Europe in October 1803. In London , among other things, he heard the chemist Humphry Davy - unfortunately not told of his experience with laughing gas ; Dorsey would probably have clinically implemented it and spared the world 50 years without anesthesia . [4] In Paris he met, among others, Joseph-Ignace Guillotin , whom he described as "venerable-looking older man and old friend of Dr. Franklin " described.

"As for French surgery, I have learned nothing from her. The hospitals are big, but not as clean as it is desirable. Of all the cruel operations that I witnessed, none of them has caused me so much agony as that ( moxibustion ) that Dubois performed at Tic douloureux . "

- John Syng Dorsey

On board the sailor Old Tom he returned to America.

Philadelphia

On October 25, 1804, he landed in Hampton Roads . In his hometown, he immediately opened a practice. Not yet 24 years old, he was appointed honorary professor in 1807 by the University of Pennsylvania . He gave lectures with his uncle. [5] The lectures helped him a speech disorder to overcome and gave him in 1809 an income of 1,000 dollars ; He received $ 2,200 from medical work. [4]

Called 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 below him surpass him. He can not ascend to the sky with the eagles nor plow through the depths of the oceans with his pack of fins. His sense of smell is less keen than that of the greyhound, his eye less penetrating than that of the hawk. In strength, the elephant is superior to him, in agility the reindeer. The reasons are obvious: his mental powers make such abilities superfluous and subordinate them to his command. "

- John Syng Dorsey

By the evening of the same day, Dorsey had a fever , probably from typhoid fever . Ten days later, he died at the age of 35. [4]

Elements of Surgery
Philadelphia had two medical colleges with nearly 500 students. For aspiring doctors and surgeons, the city was the most important educational institution in America . That's probably why Dorsey turned to students for his two-volume book Elements of Surgery . For many years it was the only textbook at American universities. In 1818 and 1828 several reprints were published. [4]

Family

Dorsey married in 1807 Maria Ralston, daughter of a wealthy businessman. The marriage produced two daughters and the son Robert. [4] A descendant is Bessie Gardner (1864 to 1949), the 1887 Alfred I. du Pont married. [6]

Honors

In 1814 he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society . [7]

Estate

Dorsey's lectures , case histories and liquidations have been preserved. [8] [9] [10] [11]

Dorsey's poems with notes by Robert Dorsey also came to Bessie Gardner . [6]

Vision

"An American, although he has some disadvantages in producing such a basic publication, is in one respect better qualified than a European surgeon. He is at least - or should it be - strictly neutral and takes over from each country 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 many ways harmed progress. Some of Desault's best writings have never been translated into English and those by John Hunterare unknown or disrespected on the continent. The spirit of hostile rivalry extending from the battlefields to science can not be left without adverse influence on practical surgery. "

- John Syng Dorsey
Wikipedia

Google Books

National Gallery of Art

[From http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1514468/ US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health]

"The first systematic textbook of surgery written in the United States, The Elements of Surgery, was completed in 1813 by John Syng Dorsey, a University of Pennsylvania surgeon."