He said Universities were under control of the church which was male dominated and reminded us that Paris, Oxford and Cambridge didn’t allow women until the 19th C.
Read moreProfessor Peter Johnson - Footte Memorial Lecture
He reviewed Dr Footte’s medical career and noted that the origins of chemotherapeutic cancer treatment happened during his later career when it was observed that those who died in the 1st World War from mustard gas poisoning suffered an obliteration of the lymphoid tissue.
Read moreDr Nigel Watson - The Future of the NHS
He first described the role of the LMC and then went on to review the current problems in the NHS. He addressed the problems of funding, political interference, poor management and the Service’s inability to retain the ablest.
Read moreDr Peter Down - Some Unsung Heroes of Gastroenterology
John Hunter described cancer as a cause of dysphagia. He would insert a bougie to determine the level of a blockage, though he could do nothing about it [except dissect it later]. However if the bougie went down then it was a case of hysteria.
Read moreDr Andrew Bishop - Thoughts on Cardiology
Unstable angina patients get more benefit from statins and actually save some lives. Best is to identify those at risk from sudden death and implant a defibrillator. An Australian working group has shown this to be very effective but at a cost of £25,000 a go.
Read moreSMS minutes - Southampton Doctors Around the World
Dr Tomson is a yachting medical advisor and local GP who has travelled the world. In a wide ranging talk he described the many places he had been to, which included Umtata in South Africa where he saw the most distressing medicine of his career; lots of burns, fractures, talipes and TB.
Read moreDr Willis - The Paradox of Progress
He said that doctors have to win the argument. We need to have independence if we are going to give the public what they expect from doctors and more than the administrators and politicians are willing to grant them.
Read moreProfessor David Barrett FRCS - The Foott Memorial Lecture
Barrett who is Professor of Orthopaedic Engineering in the University of Southampton and a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Southampton General Hospital and then proceeded to outline the known history of Dr Footte, which has been recorded elsewhere in this record of our meetings. Professor Barrett spoke to the title ‘How to Ski Uphill [and how to survive modern orthopaedics]’
Read moreMr M K H Crumplin FRCS - The Death of Lord Horatio Nelson and Surgery during the Peninsula War
An ordinary meeting of the society was held on the 2nd November 2005. The President was in the chair. He introduced the evening’s speaker Mr M K H Crumplin FRCS, Honorary Curator of Instruments at the Royal College of Surgeons, who spoke to the title The Death of Lord Horatio Nelson and Surgery during the Peninsula War. Preceding the talk Mr Crumplin had laid out his personal collection of instruments, letters, diaries and other artefacts from the period which extended around the room for the Members to peruse. Being the bicentenary of the death of Nelson he commenced his talk with a brief description of the battle of Trafalgar and the moments leading up to the wounding and gradual death of Lord Horatio Nelson. He said that there was a general misunderstanding as to why Nelson was wearing full dress uniform: this was not abnormal at that time and would help to distinguish him as leader in the melee and smoke during the battle.
He said that Nelson’s death certificate stated he died from haemorrhage but he has reviewed Dr Beattie’s PM report in detail and noted that very little blood was found in the chest cavity. He showed the passage of the bullet through the lungs and into the spinal canal. The great vessels were intact.
This had caused a transection of the cord with the physiological consequences that Nelson would have been profoundly hypotensive and would have lost all sensation below the transection level. Furthermore as all records point to him being nursed in a sitting position the hypotensive effect would have been compounded. He concluded therefore that the cause of death would have been due to shock consequent upon transection of the spinal cord. This re-analysis had not been done before.
Mr Crumplin then proceeded to describe medical care in the peninsula war. In the battle of Corunna 28,000 were wounded and 6,000 died. This was consequent upon the long retreat from Zaragossa during which 50% of the army lost its shoes and started the battle with foot injuries. Under the circumstances there were no base hospitals and there was a big alcohol problem. Any nursing was done by the motley army of hangers on.
After Wellington took over and created the stronghold of Torres Vedras things were more organized with regimental first-aiders who after initial treatment sent the wounded back for treatment. This involved probing wounds, amputations at 4 an hour, drawing out sepsis etc. For severe injuries such as bowelinjuries and severe head and chest injuries not much could be done. In fact only one in five died as a result of injury. There were 30% of soldiers off sick at any one time which was a massive problem for a mobile fighting army.
The President then thanked Mr Crumplin for his graphic descriptions of the conditions at that time and describing the unthinkable stoicism of our soldiers.
The President then informed the members that Mr John Miller had agreed to become a trustee of the Society. He also requested for volunteers to become trustees of the Prudential Bond that the society held.
There being no other business the meeting was closed at 10pm.
Dr John Grenville - The Fallout from the Shipman Enquiry
He described the background to The Shipman Enquiry, conducted by Dame Janet Smith DBE,[the discovery of unexplained morphine in large quantities in the bodies of patients who died suddenly in Dr Shipman’s presence, when they had no reason to die,] and he went on to discuss some aspects of Dame Janet’s reports.
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