Excerpt from Lectures on the Principles and Practice of Surgery IT may be considered by many that a book upon Surgery is not at the present time one of the desiderata of the medical profession; and such a remark would, I think, be quite true, if it were intended to apply to a work on the abstract principles of the science. It is not without mature consideration that I have determined upon publishing the present vol. Ume; but I have come to the conclusion, that as its contents are of a practical character, embodying the experience of twenty-five years, dur ing which time I have occupied the position of surgeon to Guy's Hos pita], it would be found useful, not only to the student, but also to those who have entered upon the practice of their profession. It must be borne in mind, that it has not been my intention to write a systematic work on the elements of the science of surgery. These lectures were originally delivered before my hospital pupils; and in thus presenting them to the profession in a collected form, my object has been to furnish a useful compendium of surgery, in which the student may meet with a clear account of the practice of that science, established, not only on my own experience, but likewise upon the best acknowledged authorities. That the practice may not bear in some cases the character of empiricism, I have endeavoured, so far as I have been able to lay down the general principles of science upon which the practice is based at the same time I have avoided as much as possible any discussion of the hypotheses of the time, deeming my practical book an unfit medium for such matter. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.