Historical Development<br > of Pelvic Surgery<br >II speeialties in medicine have told the patient so. She agreed to accept<br >lved gradually. New specialties are the risk and demonstrated her f~lith in<br > coming into existence as we learn her doctor and the Lord by singinghymns<br >:e and more about each field. In the during the operation. While McDowel]<br >y days of medicine in the United was performing tbe operation， his house<br >:es it was customary for one man to was surrounded by a crowd of the pa-<br >:l a ehair of anatomy and surgery， tient s friends， who intended to shoot or<br >teta ies and gynecologybeingineluded hang him if the patient died. Fortu-<br >a surgery. Philip Syng Physick， often nately， she made a rapid recovery and<br >sidered the father of American sur- lived for 32 years， to die at the age of<br >~， held the first chair of surgery in the 78. McDowells publication of his first<br >ted States diw)rced from anatomy， three suceessfnl eases of "ovariotomy"<br >s was at the University of Penusyl- (oophorectomy) marks the beginning of<br >ia in 1805. At this time John Warren， abdominal surgery. The operation fell<br >founder of Harvard Medical School， into disrepute shortly after this， but was<br >its first professor of anatmny and sur- popularized by the brothers Atlee of Lan-<br >1. Obstetrics was divorced from the easter， Pennsylvania， about the middle of<br >ir of surgery during the first part of the the 19tb century.<br > century. Although gynecology began Myomectomy. Anmssat of France per-<br >e identified as a specialty during this formed the first recorded nayomectomy<br >od， its separation from general sur- in 1840. In the United States the opera-<br > was more gradual. In fact， gyne- tion was done shortly thereafterbyWash-<br >，gy has not yet been completely ington Atlee. In 1850 Professor Mussey<br >~reed from general surgery in prac- wrote: "Of all fire achievements of<br >， although in almost all medical modern surgery we meet with， none [is]<br >)ols it is combined with obsteh ics， more striking or extraordinary than the<br >ophoreetomy-McDowelh Abdomi- operation performed hy Professor Atlee<br >surgery may auflaentieally be said to for the removal of fibrous tumors." A<br > begun in the back woods of Ken- generation later J. Marian Sims wrote:<br >:y when Ephraim MeDowell success- "The name of Atlee stands without a rival<br >~ renroved a large ovarian tumor. He in cmmection with uterine fibroids. His<br > studied under John Bell of Lon- operations were so heroic that no man<br >， who suggested the operation to has as yet dared to imitate him." In more<br >)dwell， who emried it out in 1809. modern times Victor Bonney in England<br > operation was done without the and Isadore Buhin in this country were<br >efit of anesthesia or asepsis， the greatest advocates of myomectomy.<br >)dwell considered the operation an Their enthusiasm exceeded that of most<br >eriment， as it truly was， and frankly nmre recent gynecologists， hut myn-<br >