Mastectomy
Dublin Core
Title
Mastectomy
Description
Illustration shows the excision of a cancerous growth from a woman's breast, an operation which Hanaoka Seishu first carried out in 1804 using general anasthetic
Kamata Keishu, a pupil of the renowned surgeon Hanaoka Seishu (1760 - 1835), published a treatise in 1851 called 'Geka kihai'. In it, he made public the surgical techniques pioneered by his teacher and provided illustrations demonstrating his technique. These illustrations were empirically based on European examples. The use of colour in them functions mainly to distinguish flesh from clothing and to demonstrate the flow of blood. This image shows an operation which Hanaoka Seishu first carried out in 1804 using general anaesthetic.
Kamata Keishu, a pupil of the renowned surgeon Hanaoka Seishu (1760 - 1835), published a treatise in 1851 called 'Geka kihai'. In it, he made public the surgical techniques pioneered by his teacher and provided illustrations demonstrating his technique. These illustrations were empirically based on European examples. The use of colour in them functions mainly to distinguish flesh from clothing and to demonstrate the flow of blood. This image shows an operation which Hanaoka Seishu first carried out in 1804 using general anaesthetic.
Creator
Kamata Keishu
Source
Wellcome Collection
https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ngg2kxv7
https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ngg2kxv7
Collection
Citation
Kamata Keishu, “Mastectomy,” European Mastectomy, accessed May 24, 2026, https://www.european-mastectomy.artinterp.org/items/show/138.