The cover image was created by the transcriber, and is placed in the public domain.
Original spellings, punctuation, inconsistencies and all apparent printers' errors are retained (see note at end of book for exceptions).
A
DISSERTATION
ON THE
INUTILITY
OF THE
Amputation of Limbs.
Written in Latin, by M. BILGUER,Surgeon General to the Armies of the King ofPrussia. Augmented with the Notes of Mr. Tissot,Physician at Lusanne.
Now first Translated into English,
By a SURGEON.
LONDON:
Printed for R. Baldwin, at the Rose, in Paternoster-Row,and T. Becket and P. A. DeHondt, in the Strand.
MDCCLXIV.
By the English Translator.
It is with particular pleasure I present the Englishreader with a translation of Mr. Bilguer'scelebrated performance: It will meet, I doubtnot, with the approbation of those, who havethe true honour of surgery at heart, and are atthe same time friends to humanity. After whatis said by so eminent a judge as Dr. Tissot, aswell as many others who are an ornament to theprofession, I shall not launch out into any eulogiumon the author: there is a spirit of modesty,candour and ingenuity runs through thewhole, that to every sensible reader will prove asufficient recommendation of the work.——If itin the least contributes to check the cruel and precipitatepractice of taking off limbs that mightbe saved, thereby preserving the lives, as wellas preventing the mutilation of numbers of ourfellow creatures, I shall think myself amply recompencedfor the labour I have taken in thusendeavouring to render Mr. Bilguer's beneficentdesign more extensively known.
Speedily will be published,
A
Translation of Dr. Tissot's last Work,
ENTITLED,
Avis au Peuple sur sa Santé.
By James Kirkpatrick, M. D.
Physician in Ordinary to HerMajesty, Fellow of theRoyal Society, &c.
SIR,
Your excellent work on theDiseases of the Army, so usefulto physicians in general, will alwaysbe considered as a standard for thepractice of those in particular, whoare intrusted with the important officeof superintending the health ofthe soldiery. Mr. Bilguer has performed,on his part, what you haveso ably done on yours, in pointingout to his colleagues and successors,[Pg vi]the plan which they ought to follow.It has given me pleasure totranslate his Dissertation, and youmust derive a peculiar satisfactionfrom the perusal of it, because, fromthe extensive and painful experienceyou have had of the bad consequencesresulting from the operation thisable Surgeon so warmly opposes, youcan more readily perceive the usefulnessand value of this little work.It is therefore my duty to address