PATHOLOGY. 
88 
rapides et fi celebres dans ce fi&cle, qu’on venait a Paris 
des bouts de l’Europe, pour toutes les cures, et pour 
toutes les operations qui demandaient une dexterite non 
commune. Non feulement il n’y avait gu^res d’excellens 
chirurgiens qu’en France; mais c’etoit dans ce feul pais 
qu’on fabriquait parfaitement les inftrumens necelfiaires.” 
It is fomewhat Angular however, that, amidft all this 
boafted pofleflion of chirurgical knowledge, the fiftula in 
ano (hould be a difeafe in which the French furgeons were 
fearful of operating, and which had often proved fatal 
beneath their attempts. Cardinal Richelieu fell a facri- 
fice to the unfkilfulnefs with which the operation was 
performed ; and, when the king entrufted himfelf to the 
care of M. Felix, his chief furgeon, fo hazardous was 
this operation deemed, that all the hofpitals were ran- 
facked for thofe who had laboured under the fame 
difeafe; and innumerable confultations were held with 
other furgeons of known reputation, to determine on the 
mode of operating that Ihould appear leaft painful and 
dangerous. The churches alfo were perpetually crowded, 
and prayers perpetually offered up throughout the whole 
kingdom, to avert the fatal termination which was fo 
generally apprehended. And, when this monarch was 
attacked by the difeafe to which he fell a viftim, he be¬ 
came diflatisfied with his own phyficians, and employed 
an empiric, who boafted of being able to cure him 
fpeedily, but under whole care he expired in a few days. 
We have gone back to the 17th century to fpeak of 
theftate of furgery under Louis XIV. as he died at the 
beginning of the 18th. Yet we cannot help attributing 
the great perfection the art acquired in the laft century 
to the exertions of that powerful monarch. He founded 
hofpitals and colleges, eftablifhed profefforfhips, which he 
required to be filled only by furgeons of acknowledged 
talent: he commanded bodies to be liberally fupplied to 
the anatomifts; and hence Paris became the medical and 
chirurgical fchool of the greateft celebrity on the con¬ 
tinent. 
Petit and Default are the firft and moft confpicuous au¬ 
thors who come under our obfervation at this time. The 
eulogium on J. L. Petit, delivered in the Royal Academy 
of Surgery, of which he was one of the firft and moft dif- 
tinguilhed members, reprel^nts him as blending the ftudy 
of anatomy with his amufements when a boy; and ar¬ 
dently feeking every opportunity to increafe his know¬ 
ledge by obfervation. He had had experience enough to 
publilh, at an early period of his life, his “ Traite fur les 
Maladies des Os,” Paris, 1705, umo, a work, which for 
a century was efteemed the belt upon the fubjeCt. It may 
be noticed, that his fuccefs was moft virulently oppofed 
by the envious. It was not till after more than thirty 
years of academical labours and extenfive practice, that 
he was unanimoufly elected chief of his affociates. This 
acknowledged fuperiority was the more flattering, as 
j. L. Petit obtained it at a period when furgery was in a 
flourifliing ftate in France, and where he held no place 
from which he could derive an influence foreign to his 
perfonal merit. While Marefchal, La Peyronie, and La 
Martiniere, allured him of the royal favour, Quefnay, 
Morand, and Louis, who corrected his writings, made 
him fpeak a language that does honour to the famous 
colleftion to which he contributed his obfervations (fee 
Memoires et Prix de l’Academie Royale de Chirurgie, 10 
vols. 4to.) and in which, if we except fome theoretical 
explanations, nothing has loft its value by age. In Ihort, 
it will ever be confidered as one of the moft valuable col- 
leftions of furgical knowledge. J. L. Petit was alfo the 
author of a “Traite des Maladies Chirurgicales, et des 
Operations qui leur conviennent; Ouvrage pofthume;” a 
production that will always Hand high in the eftimation 
of the judicious furgeon. 
Of Default we may remark, that he is highly cele¬ 
brated for the exaftnefs and method which he introduced 
into the ftudy of anatomy ; the ingenious apparatus 
which he invented for the treatment of fraftures j a noble 
ardour in his profefllon, which he knew how to infufe 
into all his pupils; and the boldnefs and fimplicity of his 
modes of operating. His clinical leisures upon furgery 
were the firft ever delivered. Indeed, fuch was his ge¬ 
nius, that, when he pra&ifed only methods already un- 
derftood, lie did them with fo much adroitnefs, that he 
rather appeared to be the inventor of them. He wrote 
the Journal de Chirurgie, 4 vols. 8vo. and left behind him 
CF.uvres Chirurgiques, 3 vols. edited by Bichat. He 
likewife furnifhed many papers to the Memoirs of the 
Academy of Surgery, and was a diftinguilhed member of 
the Ecole de Sante which fucceeded it. 
What tended principally to raife the reputation of 
French furgery to fo high a pitch, was the union of indi¬ 
vidual labours in the Academy of Surgery juft men¬ 
tioned. This valuable inftitution, which gave our conti¬ 
nental neighbours fo great an advantage over us, was un¬ 
fortunately fupprefied at the time of the revolution; 
and every one interefted in the improvement of fcience 
muft deeply regret the difcontinuance of a fociety, in 
which emulation and talents w.ere fo long united for the 
benefit of mankind. The various diflertations, publilhed 
by the illuftrious members of the Academy, will ferve as 
a perpetual memorial of the fpirit, ability, and fuccefs, 
with which the obje£Is of the inftitution were purfued ; 
and centuries hence, pra&itioners fhall reap from the 
pages of its Memoirs the moft valuable kind of furgical 
information. Indeed, the “Memoires et Prix de l’Aca- 
demie Royale de Chirurgie” is a work which is abfo- 
lutely indifpenfable for every furgeon, and the various 
parts of which cannot be too often confulted. In it are 
preferved the labours of Le Dran, Garengeot, De la Faye, 
Louis, Verdier, Foubert, Hevin, Pibrac, Fabre, Le Cat, 
Bordenave, Sabatier, Puzos, Levret, and feveral other 
pra&itioners, who, though lefs famous, have contributed 
by their exertions and knowledge to form this uleful 
body of furgical fails. The preceding furgeons alfo dif- 
tinguifhed themfelves by other productions. 
Le Dran publilhed, 1. Parallele des differentes Ma- 
nieres de tirer la Pierre hors de la Veflie, 121110. a. 
Operations de Chirurgie, 2 vols. i2tno. 3. Obfervations 
de Chirurgie, 2 vols. 121110. 4. Traite des Plaies d’Armes 
a feu, i2ino. 5. Confultations de Chirurgie, i2mo. 
Garengeot wrote: 1. Traite des Inftrumens de Chi¬ 
rurgie, 2 vols. 121T10. a. Traite des Operations de 
Chirurgie, 3 vols. i2mo. 
Fabre was the author of Recherches fur l’Art de 
Guerir, 8vo. 
Le Cat wrote : Recueil de Pieces fur l’Operation de la 
Taille. 
Sabatier publilhed the Medecine Operatoire, 3 vols. 8vo. 
Puzos compofed Traite des Accouchemens; Paris, 
1759, 4to. 
Levret wrote, 1. Obfervations fur les Accouchemens 
laborieux; Paris, 1747. 2. Art des Accouchemens, 
demontre paries Principes de Phyfique; Paris, 1761, 8vo. 
3. Eflai fur l’Abus des Regies generates, &c. Paris, 
1766, 8vo. 4. Obfervations fur la Cure radicale des 
Polypes; Paris, 1749. 
La Motte publilhed: 1. TraitC complet des Accouche¬ 
mens naturels, non-naturels,et contre Nature. 2. Traite 
complet de Chirurgie. 
Miutre-Jean was the author of TraitC des Maladies de 
l’Oeil, 4to. 
Goulard wrote : CEuvres de Chirurgie ; Liege, 1763, 2 
vols. unto. 
Ravaton compofed, Le Chirurgien d’Armee. 
Pouteau : 1. Melanges de Chirurgie, 8vo. a. CEuvres 
pofthumes, 3 vols. 8vo. 
David, Obfervations fur laNecrofe ; Paris, 1782, 8vo. 
The Academy of Surgery, which was overthrown 
during the French revolution, had at firft a very inferior 
fubftitute in the Ecole de Sante; but, fince the reftora- 
tion, has been fucceeded by the Ecole de Chirurgie, (fee 
Paris, vol. xviii. p. 467.) which has brought forward 
Boyer, 
