[William Cheselden: singular lithotomist and great illustrator of the XVIII Century]

Servicio de Urología de los Hospitales del I.M.A.S, Barcelona, España. jballesteros@imas.imim.es

We present a brief historic reference of who probably was the most famous English urologist-surgeon of the 18th century, and who, following the chronicle writers, holds the record for extraction of a bladder stone (between 24 and 54 seconds). He also was an example of humanism related to the medical profession: he was an extraordinary illustrator of his own books with the help of the "dark chamber", so frequently used by Renaissance artists, contributed to the design and performance of civil architectonic work, had relationships with the literature world through poetry, and decisively influenced the reformation and separation of barbers and surgeons, which ultimately lead to the creation of the Royal College of Surgeons.

Personal Name as Subject:

Cheselden W

PMID: 17937331 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]