Comments on: John Arderne, Medieval Proctologist

By: ted

ted — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:01:59 +0000

The "lines" on the page are not lines, but are the text on the other side of the page.

I just wonder what his patient was riding 40 days after the operation.

By: gibson8or

gibson8or — Sat, 31 May 2008 06:11:43 +0000

@gail

I read Fanny Burney's account, and it sounds MUCH worse than the fistula surgery, even though it took place around 500 years later. Agh, I can see why she couldn't even talk about it for months after... and how would her husband have felt if he came home to find that she had died?

By: Xinavera

Xinavera — Sat, 31 May 2008 03:55:04 +0000

"anesthesiologists are the highest-paid specialty among doctors. now we know why."

Given the alternatives, I for one am willing to pay top dollar for a good anesthesiologist. Fortunately, I haven't had need for an anus-thesiologist... Yow!

By: Christophe

Christophe — Sat, 31 May 2008 03:37:49 +0000

The guy was a genius but all his relatives agreed that he was a pain in the butt

By: gail

gail — Sat, 31 May 2008 03:00:43 +0000

"so, was proctology invented before or after anesthesiology?"

Long, long before. Anesthesiology came along in the nineteenth century with the invention of ether.

By: Idil

Idil — Sat, 31 May 2008 02:41:28 +0000

Those are the creepiest illustrations I have ever seen in my life, I swear.

By: aware

aware — Fri, 30 May 2008 22:44:47 +0000

so, was proctology invented before or after anesthesiology?

incidentally, anesthesiologists are the highest-paid specialty among doctors. now we know why.

thanks, docs!

By: DOJ

DOJ — Fri, 30 May 2008 21:35:29 +0000

why is it drawn on notebook paper?

By: nick

nick — Fri, 30 May 2008 20:49:17 +0000

where is miss cellania? looks like instruments of torture.

By: Rich

Rich — Fri, 30 May 2008 20:28:25 +0000

I wonder if the doodles, symbols and something that resembles Phi - are fourteenth century attempts to make the document look "official"?

By: gail

gail — Fri, 30 May 2008 18:48:18 +0000

For the ladies in the audience, look up Fanny Burney's first-person description of her unanesthetized 1811 mastectomy.

By: Carol

Carol — Fri, 30 May 2008 18:05:29 +0000

Out of nowhere he strikes, and during lunch on a Friday!

Maybe a follow-up link about how to prevent this condition is in order now, for all the now-cringing and shuddering guys who just saw this post.

By: JamesG

JamesG — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:54:02 +0000

Actually, this procedure doesn't appear to be very different from the methods used by surgeons today to correct a fistula in ano. I had a fistulotomy -- as they are now called -- three months ago. This was done in a hospital operating room under full anesthesia and LOTS of pain medication afterwards. I cannot imagine undergoing such a procedure fully conscious. Yikes!!

By: Ali S.

Ali S. — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:16:36 +0000

*looks at illustrations* What the popsicles!? O_o

By: Xultar

Xultar — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:59:02 +0000

OOOUUUUCCCCHHHHHHH!

By: Johnny Cat

Johnny Cat — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:58:49 +0000

Great illustrations...I...just...wow.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:36:58 +0000

Umm... No.

By: Aye Chihuahua

Aye Chihuahua — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:35:50 +0000

Yikes!

I sure am glad this guy wasn't my surgeon.