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Pediatric vesicolithotomy from ancient India to Greece, Arabia and the western world

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Abstract

Surgeons removed bladder stones by perineal lithotomy in ancient times. The first surgeon who dared to invade a body cavity knew human anatomy and was skilled in the use of surgical instruments. The operation probably originated in India since the Sushruta Samhita, a surgical text, antedates Hippocrates by several hundred years. Sushruta’s knowledge of bladder of stones, surgical complications and instrumentation identifies him as originator of vesicolithotomy. Why did Hippocrates advise his students to leave operations for bladder stones to practitioners who were skilled in the art? Who were these practitioners and how did knowledge of vesicolithotomy reach Greece from India? Our research suggests that the operation came to Greece from India over ancient trade routes and with surgeons who accompanied Alexander the Great’s army. The Sushruta Samhita was translated in Arabic and may have reached Europe during the dark ages by way of Arabian surgeons such as Albucasis. Chelseldon, an eighteenth century English surgeon, brought Sushruta’s vesicolithotomy to a peak of perfection.

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Fig. 1

(Adopted from Mukhopadhyaya 1912; public domain)

Fig. 2

(Adopted from Mukhopadhyaya 1912; public domain)

Fig. 3

(Adopted from Mukhopadhyaya 1912; public domain)

Fig. 4

(Photo credits to Gypsypkd, Aravindreddy, and Zell, respectively; modified and reproduced from Wikipedia under creative common license)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago, USA

    John G. Raffensperger

  2. Northwestern University, Evanston, USA

    John G. Raffensperger

  3. SRM Medical College, Chennai, India

    V. Raveenthiran

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  1. John G. Raffensperger
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  2. V. Raveenthiran
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JGR conceived the project and wrote the first draft. VR critically revised the manuscript and added references. Both authors approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to John G. Raffensperger.

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Raffensperger, J.G., Raveenthiran, V. Pediatric vesicolithotomy from ancient India to Greece, Arabia and the western world. Pediatr Surg Int 35, 737–741 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-019-04477-2

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