Lister and His Achievement Book

LISTER AND HIS ACHIEVEMEN1 BEING THE FIRST LISTER - MEMORIAL LECTURE DELIVERED AT THE ROYALCOLLEGE OFSURGEONS OF ENGLAND ON MAY 14, 1925 BY SIR WM. WATSON CHEYNE, BT. K. C. M. G, C. B, F. R. C. S., F. R. S, Etc. WITH APPENDIX WITH PORTRAIT LONGMANS, G Att AND CO. 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON. E. C. 4 NEW YORK, TORONTO BOMBAY, CALCUTTA. AND MADRAS 1925 PREFACE THE following is the Listerian Lecture in connection with the first award of the Listerian Medal and Prize by the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The wish of the lecturer was to give a short history of Listers work, but that was impossible in the case of a short lecture. Hence the lecture was written out in full and compressed as much as possible. The lighter portions, illustrating Listers character and the general plan of his work, were then used. to form the Listerian Lecture, and the remaining more detailed account of the progress of his work and investigations is added in the form of an Appendix. FBTLAR, SHETLAND. May 14, 1925. LISTER LISTER AND HIS ACHIEVEMENT MR. PRESIDED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, Before I begin this lecture I should like to say how much we all regret the sudden death of Sir Rickman Godlee, which has cast a gloom oyer to-days proceedings. Sir Rickman Godlee took a very active part in the Lister Memorial Funds, and ms, I know, looking forward very much to the proceedings to-day I also had been looking forward to meeting him. Sir Rickman Godlee and I were very closely associated for many years as Listers private assistants, and a more delightful, able, and loyal colleague I cannot imagine. I am sure that everyone here sympathises most sincerely with Lady Godlee in her great bereavement. I must, in the first place, thank the Council of this College for the great honour they have done me in awarding to me the first Lister Memorial Medal and Prize. I need hardly say that the Medal commemor ating my great master and friend will be one of the most treasured of my possessions. The subject of the lecture which must be given by the recipient of this honour is left entirely to his judgment, and will naturally refer in the main to work in which he has himself been principally engaged. On this occasion I feel convinced that, as the first recipient of this honour, and as one of the little band of men l who knew Lister and his work most intimately, and who had the extraordinary good fortune of being closely associated with him throughout his great achievement, I ought to put on record matters con nected with his work and not especially concerning myself. I hope that my decision will be acceptable to you. As a matter of fact I have for some time had a great desire, before I depart this life, to place before die profession as fair a statement as I can of Listers great achievement, his aims, the principles on which he started, how they became modified as time went on, and the final result. Having, however, practically given up active surgical work, I have felt more and more diffidence in laying before the profession a story which to some may appear to be past history and not of any actual living value at the present time. This award, however, provides the stimulus and, indeed, the imme diate necessity for carrying out my desire. The story I have to tell, though going back for just sixty years, is one still full of vitality, of instruction, and of the gravest importance to surgery. It is far from being a closed book, the whole matter is still fluid, and perfec tion has not yet been obtained in all directions. When I came to write the lecture on these matters in full I found that, even after cutting it down as far as possible by omitting extensive passages and by condensing others very much, its delivery would far 1 In Glasgow, Listers private assistant was Sir Hector Cameron, who, I am glad to say, is still well and active in Edinburgh his assistant was Dr...Read More