Excision of a remarkable tumour of the upper jaw in 1834 by Robert Liston.
A series of pre-operative casts of the head, one of plaster of Paris and the other of wax, have recently been discovered in the Department of Anatomy, Edinburgh, of a patient with an immense tumour of the left maxillary antrum which produced an enormous degree of facial distortion. These casts complement a series of engravings published in the contemporary literature. This lady's tumour was successfully excised by Robert Liston in 1834 in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, only a month before he left Edinburgh for London. The tumour was believed to be benign, and was removed without the benefit of anaesthesia. The patient returned the following summer to have a gold palate fitted, and while her voice was initially indistinct, it subsequently recovered.
Kaufman
M H
MH
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University Medical School, Edinburgh.
Royds
M T
MT
D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D008441:Maxillary Neoplasms / Q000266:history* / Q000601:surgery; D012606:Scotland