Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 875

BENJAMIN GOOCH (1707?-1776) Cases and practical remarks in surgery. Printed for D. Wilson, and T. Durham 1758 xv [1] 184 pp., 12 fold. plates. Copy 1: 20.4 cm. Original calf; Copy 2: 20.3 cm.

Gooch, the son of a minister, was born in a small village southwest of Norwich. Little is known of his early education but he did serve an apprenticeship with one of Norwich's leading surgeons. It is likely that he then studied medicine in London and he returned to establish a practice in Shotesham, where he practiced successfully for more than thirty years. In 1757, he was afflicted with a serious illness. After his recovery he resumed practice at Norwich in 1760, where he spent the remaining years of his life. Gooch became one of the outstanding provincial surgeons of the eighteenth century, developed an innovative splint for fractured limbs, and played an important role in the founding of the first general hospital in Norfolk. The present work was Gooch's chief medical work and not only shows the depth of his surgical knowledge but also gives a clear picture of the practice of a country surgeon during his day. There were few surgical textbooks written by English authors published in the mid-eighteenth century and it was most unusual for a country practitioner to author such a work. Gooch wrote the work while convalescing from his illness and commented in the Preface that the book "was originally intended only for the information of those under my own care" (p. vii), that is, those pupils and inexperienced surgeons who trained under him. The work contains ample references to the surgical literature and shows that Gooch was well acquainted with both the classical and contemporary literature of his field. His case reports cover a wide variety of surgical problems including fractures, infections, amputations, and wounds. He was a skilled lithotomist, operated successfully for strangulated hernia, was one of the first to remove a bladder calculus through the vagina, and was an innovator in the design of surgical appliances. Many of his designs, including the Gooch splint, are depicted in the present work.

Cited references: Waller 3637; Wellcome III, p. 135

Copy 2: Gift of John Martin, M.D