A system of surgery
Dublin Core
Title
A system of surgery
Description
pages 55- , Bell describes the advantages of the tenaculum over crooked needles in amputations (particularly cancerous breasts)
"I have seen it necessary for the surgeon, to put the patient to a great deal of pain, by being obliged to cut out the threads with a scalpel. But when the tenaculum is used, every risk of this kind is avoided, from the ligatures generally dropping of their own accord, in the course of the third or fourth dressing of the fore." (57)
goes on to describe how one might tie arteries and nerves to help reduce pain "for the purpose of effecting this with ease and safety, various kinds of instruments termed a forceps have been invented; with these, the arteries of a fore are laid hold of and pulled out, so as to admit of the application of ligatures" (forceps good for larger blood-vessels but the tenaculum better for smaller arteries - see plate 1; "as a hook of this form answers equally well in the larger arteries likewise, the use of the forceps may therefore be laid entirely aside. The manner of using the tenaculum is this"
6 volumes : plates ; (8vo)
Final imprint date from catalogue of Edinburgh University Library.
Copy 1 Vol. 4 Note: 1st ed.
Copy 1 Vol. 5 Note: 1st ed.
Copy 1 Vol. 6 Note: 1st ed.
"I have seen it necessary for the surgeon, to put the patient to a great deal of pain, by being obliged to cut out the threads with a scalpel. But when the tenaculum is used, every risk of this kind is avoided, from the ligatures generally dropping of their own accord, in the course of the third or fourth dressing of the fore." (57)
goes on to describe how one might tie arteries and nerves to help reduce pain "for the purpose of effecting this with ease and safety, various kinds of instruments termed a forceps have been invented; with these, the arteries of a fore are laid hold of and pulled out, so as to admit of the application of ligatures" (forceps good for larger blood-vessels but the tenaculum better for smaller arteries - see plate 1; "as a hook of this form answers equally well in the larger arteries likewise, the use of the forceps may therefore be laid entirely aside. The manner of using the tenaculum is this"
6 volumes : plates ; (8vo)
Final imprint date from catalogue of Edinburgh University Library.
Copy 1 Vol. 4 Note: 1st ed.
Copy 1 Vol. 5 Note: 1st ed.
Copy 1 Vol. 6 Note: 1st ed.
Creator
Bell, Benjamin, 1749-1806
Source
Wellcome
https://wellcomecollection.org/works/y4bj8pbm
https://wellcomecollection.org/works/y4bj8pbm
Publisher
Edinburgh : Charles Elliott [etc.], 1785-1788.
Collection
Citation
Bell, Benjamin, 1749-1806
, “A system of surgery,” European Mastectomy, accessed May 24, 2026, https://www.european-mastectomy.artinterp.org/items/show/297.