Doctors Differ. By Harley. Williams (Cape. 12s. - 601,) Tins is the
story in popular language of the life-work of five eminent doctors, John Elliotson, H. 0. Thomas, William Macewen, James Mackenzie and Robert Philip, with Robert Jones, Victor Horsley and William Osler thrown in, as it were. To most medical and many lay readers these will all be familiar. names for their pioneer work in medicine and surgery, with the possible exception of John Elliotson. Perhaps for this reason the sketch of the latter and his times and circle is the most interesting and original of the series. Born in 1791, he became one of the principal founders of University College Hospital and the first professor of medicine in London University. In his early life he was a close friend of Thomas Wakley, the extremely original and combative founder of The Lancet, a friendship that later turned to enmity. This was because of Elliotson's sudden attraction to and adoption of mesmerism, which he practised in his wards and about which he gave public demonstrations, attended by Charles Dickens amongst others. Ultimately he was obliged, on this atcount, to resign both his position in the hospital and his professorship. Although he hovered on the verge of what might have been a valuable contribution to medicine, he seems to have asked for these troubles. There is an odd slip on page 76, where Dr. Harley Williams states that mesmerism was the "one means of anaesthesia that was available before chloroform was introduced by James Young Simpson in 1847." Nitrous oxide and ether had, of course, preceded chloroform as general anaesthetics. Ether was the anaesthetic used at the historic operation in October, 1846, at the. Massachusetts General' Hospital and also, later in the same year, at University College Hospital itself by Robert Liston. But Dr. Harley Williams deserves a full mead of thanks- for rescuing an interesting episode and character from oblivion.
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