title: The acute abdomen and Murphy's signs.
abstract: The history of the acute abdomen describes a shift from emphasis on prognosis to treatment through correlation of clinical and pathological findings. John B. Murphy was an acclaimed leader of American surgery whose name is associated with several diagnostic maneuvers used in the evaluation of the acute abdomen. These include deep-grip palpation used in examination for suspected biliary disease.
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history*; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history; D005060:Europe; D013502:General Surgery / Q000266:history; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D010173:Palpation; D010474:Percussion; D014481:United States