Historical artwork of a lithotomy patient

Historical artwork of a lithotomy patient

N700/0053 Rights Managed

Request low-res file

530 pixels on longest edge, unwatermarked

Request/Download high-res file

Uncompressed file size: 29.5MB

Downloadable file size: 1.4MB

Price image Pricing

Please login to use the price calculator


Caption: Lithotomy. Historical artwork of a lithotomy patient being held down by two men prior to surgery. Lithotomy involves making an incision into a duct or organ, especially the bladder, for the removal of a stone (calculus). These stones consist largely of insoluble calcium salts. Surgery before the discovery of effective anaesthetics and antiseptics was painful and risky. The accepted medical practice was for surgeons to complete their work as quickly as physically possible. However, post-operative infections often killed patients. This woodcut is from the Ten Books of Surgery by Ambroise Pare published in 1563.


Keywords: 16th century surgery, ambroise, bladder operation, bladder stone, bladder stones, calculus, healthcare, histor, historical, historical artwork, historical image, history, lithotom, lithotomy, medical, medicine, pare, removal, surgery, surgical care, ten books of surgery
