William Cheselden

What the film says

• Made the lateral operation his own; an eyewitness timed one operation at fifty-four seconds.

  Watch 30:14 in the film VI. The Stone-Cutters

• Published 213 cases with 20 deaths, set out by age: 3 deaths among 105 children aged ten or under.

  Watch 30:36 in the film VI. The Stone-Cutters

• Wrote of his anxiety before operating and the calm that came once he began.

  Watch 31:15 in the film VI. The Stone-Cutters

On the timeline

• 1710 or 1711: William Cheselden is admitted to the Barber-Surgeons' Company. probable timeline
• 1712: Cheselden is elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. timeline
• 1718 (full surgeon 1719/20): Cheselden joins St Thomas's Hospital as assistant surgeon. timeline
• 1723: Cheselden publishes A Treatise on the High Operation for the Stone. timeline
• August 1725 or 1727 (sources differ): Cheselden takes up the lateral operation at St Thomas's: 1727 is the conventional date, while Tröhler dates a gradual start from August 1725. disputed timeline
• 1732: In that year's edition of his Anatomy, Cheselden reports that the first 27 patients cut by the lateral method recovered. probable timeline
• 1733: Cheselden becomes surgeon to St George's Hospital. timeline
• 1737/38: Cheselden becomes surgeon to Chelsea Hospital. timeline
• 1740 (fifth edition); 1741: Cheselden publishes his St Thomas's series: 213 cut, 20 died, with a table by age. timeline
• 1745: The surgeons separate from the barbers; Cheselden plays a part in the separation. probable timeline
• 10 April 1752: Cheselden dies at Bath. timeline

Sources