Ephraim McDowell's Ovariotomy on General Overton's Wife.
Ephraim McDowell's removal of a massive ovarian tumor from Jane Todd Crawford in Danville, Kentucky, in 1809 revolutionized the practice of surgery. Most academic physicians then believed that operating in the abdomen would inevitably result in peritonitis and death. McDowell proved them wrong and performed numerous ovariotomies with an acceptable complication rate for the era. His expertise brought patients from afar. McDowell also operated on patients in their homes, sometimes far from Danville. This article addresses an operation done in Nashville, Tennessee, on Penelope Holmes Overton, wife of General Thomas Overton, a prominent Tennessean.
Division of General Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and the Department of Surgical, Sciences VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Robert W
RW
Ikard
D005260:Female; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D007629:Kentucky; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000266:history* / Q000601:surgery; D010052:Ovariectomy / Q000266:history*; D013714:Tennessee