AMBROISE PARÉ

Father of Modern Surgery and Modern Forensic pathology

● 16th century surgeon , a pioneer in surgical techniques, battle field

medicine , an anatomist and inventor of many surgical instruments

● Great Philosoper who beleived in philosophies like “Labor omnia

vincet”

● His modest saying ,“I Dressed Him and God Healed Him”
● Born in 1510,France
● Educated under Chaplain
● Apprenticed to a surgeon Vialot
● 1533-36 Compagnon chirurgen(Surgical resident) at hotel-Dieu
● Influenced by Guy de Chaulic,Jean De Vigo,Sylvius,Galen,Hippocrates
● 1537 Military surgeon to Colonel general
● 1541 Master Barber Surgeon
● 1552 “The surgeon to the King” to King Henry II
CONTRIBUTIONS TO NEUROSURGERY
● Emphasised more on Trauma rather than tumours
● Described multiple types of head injuries including closed and
open,blunt and sharp along with bullet injuries.
● He described different types of skull fractures including communited
fracture,pond fracture which he described as “a dent in pewter vessel”
● Probably first to describe different sites of fluid collection like under
scalp,under precranium,under dura matter and within ventricles.
● Described different techniques of Cephalohematoma drainage including
Triphenation.
● He attempted reconstructive cranial surgeries.
● Importance was mostly given to wound drainage rather than repair.
● Used to drain fluid collections before they corrupt the brain.
● Used ointments of Astringet clay and egg white for wound dressings.
● Used Aegyptiacum dissolved in brandy or wine for head wounds
● He used turpentine based dressings for gunshot wounds instead of
boiling oil.
● Introduced instruments like Trephine which is a cylindrical saw with adjustable

ferrule,Suction by cupping glass, suction by three legged device assisted by a

screw elevator to elevate comminuted depressed fracture

● Traction Apparatus for cervical spinal injuries

● Designed instruments called crow’s beak,a predecessor of modern hemostat.

● Designed limb and ocular prosthesis.

● Opium as sedative
● Introduced concept that more damage occurs due to corruption of brain
by putrid blood than due to mechanical compression-during autopsy
King Henry II
● No emphasis for Urgent Decompression
● No Clear distinction between blood clot,serum and pus-continuous
humoral process
● Described 4 cases of Hydrocephalus in infants
OTHER FIELDS-

● Contributed to techniques of amputation

● Introduced Phantom limb phenomenon
● Introduced concept of ligature usage for hemostasis
● Introduced Podalic Version for delivery of breech presentation
● Disproved use of bezoar for poisoning
 MISBELEIFS!!!

● Venesection as therapy

● Description of Cranio-facial and Club foot deformities as monsters.

● Probably believed in “Doctrine of animal spirits” in explaining spinal

cord and peripheral nerve injuries but he got astonished this theory

could not explain all head injuries as he observed lucid interval in a

soldier with wound to lateral ventricle.

Books

● Complete works
● Of Green and Bloody wounds
● On monsters and Marvels
● The Apologie…..
● Died on 20 dec 1590 at paris at 80 years of age.

● And always remembered as

“Luminous medical figure,Great surgeon.excellent nurse,a

learned man,chief of his art,an esteemed philosopher and a

good human being”

THANK YOU