An Account of Time in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 133 MMM/12/2
  • Dates of Creation
      1847-1849
  • Language of Material
      English
  • Physical Description
      1 volume, 146 folios

Scope and Content

Account by Lund of his time visiting hospitals, colleges, and universities in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London notable for its early accounts of the use of ether and chloroform as anaesthetics.

Lund begins in August 1847 with a visit to Professor James Young Simpson at the University of Edinburgh and recounts a case of childbirth in which Simpson uses ether as an anaesthetic and describes the apparatus he uses to administer it. He also describes Simpson's use of potassa fosa in the treatment of chronic induration of the cervix uteri, the incision of the os uteri in the treatment of severe cases of non-membranous dysmenorrhoea, employment of opiate and belladonna suppositories, incision of anal fissures, and the shrinking of ovarian and uterine fibrous tumours [neoplasms] using galvanism.

He then visits the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the University's museum, and the museum of the College of Surgeons where he comments on the delicate preparations in comparative anatomy, the many painted plaster casts, and the sketches of patients in various stages of tetanus by Charles Bell. Next he visited the Edinburgh Infirmary and remarks on the immense number of fever patients, many in tents and temporary buildings and a method of applying taped splints in the surgical ward (accompanied by drawing).

Lund then proceeds to Glasgow and visits the Infirmary there where he observes little of 'novelty or importance'. He visits William Hunter's museum at Glasgow University of which he does not seem to be particularly impressed but notes down a few specimens which he considers to be the most attractive.

His visits then take him to London and firstly the Library of the Royal College of Surgeons in February 1848 and makes comments on Syme's work on the rectum and Curling's work on the testis. At St Bartholomew's Hospital he observes and comments upon Mr Lawrence performing surgery on the eye, removing a woman's breast, and removing a man's leg below the knee and also Mr Stanley performing a leg amputation all using chloroform and with remarks on procedure etc. He observes similar operations by Mr C Hawkins and Mr Peate at St George's Hospital, again using chloroform, and Mr Charles Johnson performing a lithotomy on a 2 year old boy this time using ether. At Guy's Hospital he witnesses the reduction of dislocations and another lithotomy all using chloroform. He recounts several visits to the Pathological Societies where various specimens are displayed. He also has a tour of the London Hospital with Mr Luke where he is impressed with his method of slinging fractures of the leg beneath cradles and also his invalid bed (accompanied by a drawing) and recounts the method he used to remove a tumour on a man's lip [with drawing]. Afterwards he tours the physicians' wards with Dr Cobb (Edward Cobb's brother). Finally in May 1848 he attends a lecture/demonstration on cutaneous diseases by Dr Addison at Guy's Hospital.

Seemingly quite separate from the reports of his travels Lund describes two individual cases he has attended, one a 44 year old man suffering from 'poor man's gout' and one a man suffering from concussion of the head.