Legends Of Surgeryさんのイラストまとめ

Humans are the only mammals with a clearly distinct uvula (Latin for ‘little grape’). It’s function is to lubricate the throat, and aid in swallowing and speech. Uvulectomy dates back to Ancient Greece, and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (aka UP3) is an option for sleep apnea.

Soviet surgeon Gavriil Ilizarov (1921-92) developed an external fixator system, based on a shaft bow harness on a horse carriage and made of bicycle parts. Used to lengthen bones or treat nonunions of bone, the Ilizarov apparatus famously treated Olympian Valery Brumel in 1968.

2 cases of congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis were described by Danish doctor Harald Hirschsprung in 1888, defining the disease, but reports date back to the 1700s. Pyloromyotomy was reported by German surgeon Conrad Ramstedt in 1912, which dramatically increased survival.

Cyclosporine, an important immunosuppressive drug used in transplant patients, was first isolated from a soil fungus found in Norway and Wisconsin in 1970. The first surgeons to use it in transplant patients were Roy Calne (kidneys) and Thomas Starzl (liver), starting in 1980.

The anatomy and function of the recurrent laryngeal nerve was described by Galen in 2nd century CE, which he demonstrated by cutting it in a squealing pig, rendering it silent. Avoiding this structure is crucial in thyroid surgery. Fun fact: a giraffe’s nerve is 15 feet long!

German surgeon Friedrich von Esmarch (1823-1908) founded The Samaritan Society to provide first aid training and developed the ‘Esmarch bandage’ in 1873, used to help remove blood from limbs for surgery. His family crest has a Samaritan Cross and a bloodless arm to honour this!

Mohs surgery, a technique for removing skin cancers with minimal healthy tissue using microscopy, was invented by Wisconsin surgeon Frederic E. Mohs (1910-2002). His first human operation was on June 30, 1936. The technique was used on Ronald Reagan’s nose in 1985!

The Sugarbaker procedure (after Dr. Paul Sugarbaker) for intra-abdominal malignancies, involves complete surgical tumour removal (cytoreduction), including stripping of the peritoneum, intra-operative heated chemo, then post-op intraperitoneal chemo. Takes about 10 hours!

“Well, in Whoville they say - that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day”. A case of takotsubo cardiomyopathy (broken heart syndrome) from the overwhelming emotions of learning the true meaning of Christmas?

Clay-shoveler’s fracture, first described in Australian ditch diggers in the 1930s, is an avulsion fracture of the spinous process of a lower cervical vertebrae. It is caused by lifting weights rapidly with arms extended.