Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1225

SIR ASTLEY PASTON COOPER (1768-1841) The anatomy and surgical treatment of inguinal and congenital hernia. Printed for T. Cox [by] T. Beasley, printer 1804 Vol. I: [2] vi, 60 pp., 11 plates, each with a leaf of descriptive letterpress. 51 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 1224

Cooper's first and major work, the present work was several years in preparation and involved considerable effort in collecting, preparing, and dissecting the specimens. Cooper observed that "no disease of the human body, belonging to the province of the surgeon, requires in its treatment a greater combination of accurate anatomical knowledge, with surgical skill, than hernia in all its varieties" (Preface, p. v). Cooper was very thorough in his treatment of the subject and his observations and teachings are instructive even today if one takes into account the advances in operative surgery and sterile techniques. He included many case histories, his treatment recommendations, and surgical techniques, as well as masterful anatomical descriptions and illustrations. Unfortunately, his name is not associated with two of the most important structures he first described--the fascia transversalis and the internal inguinal ring. The book became very successful and was instrumental in establishing Cooper's reputation as a surgeon both at home and abroad. The second volume was published in 1807 and covers femoral, umbilical, obturator, sciatic, diaphragmatic, and mesenteric hernias. A second edition (see No. 1226) was issued in 1827 with changes and observations resulting from Cooper's continued experience and experimentation. The work also appeared in two German editions and an American edition.

See Related Record(s): 1226

Cited references: Garrison-Morton 3581; Waller 2114 (Vol. I only); Wellcome II, p. 387

Gift of John Martin, M.D.