[33] M. Morand, the father, was the first who took off the arm at
the joint of the shoulder. Mr. Le Dran performed it soon after in
the presence of the most eminent surgeons of Paris, Messieurs Petit,
Marechal, La Peyronie, Arnaud, &c. which number of witnesses, making
his operation more extensively known, that of Morand has, as it
were, been forgotten, and Mr. Le Dran has passed for having been the
inventor. Mr. Bromfield performed it successfully within these few
years at London; but notwithstanding a few cases whose event has
been favourable, it is a very dangerous operation, and has sometimes
miscarried. Dr. Home, an eminent physician at Edinburgh, equally a
promoter of agriculture, medicine, and the arts, relates, that in the
former war, he saw Mr. Mitchel perform the operation on two soldiers,
where the os humeri was fractured as high as the joint, and who both
died a few days after: It is true, he remarks that they were both in
a bad way when the amputation was performed; but he adds, that this
operation appears extremely dangerous, even when performed with every
favourable circumstance. _Medical facts and experiments, p. 114_. With
respect to the thigh, there is little room to hope that the struggle
that is made to determine, when and how it should be taken off at
the articulation, can be attended with the success which some people
seem to expect from it. If such an operation should take place, it
will perhaps very soon be asked, whether it ought not to be publicly
condemned? TISSOT.
[34] I am of opinion, that if one had the misfortune of being reduced
to the necessity of chusing between amputating at the upper part of
the thigh, or at the articulation itself, one reason for prefering the
latter, would be the greater ease there is in stopping the hemorrhage
of the crural artery.
A surgeon and anatomist, who has been in repute, observes, _That an
hemorrhage of the crural artery is what is chiefly to be dreaded, but
the operation requires too short a time, for such an hemorrhage to be
fatal_. It is surprizing to see him mention this operation as one that
is very familiar; I make this remark, because, as he is not the only
person who may allow himself to talk in this manner, a bold pretender
to the art, on reading such a passage, might undertake an operation as
easy and common, which has never yet been performed. TISSOT.
[35] What Mr. Bilguer says with respect to the wounded Prussians, is
but too applicable to those of every army.