An Interactive Annotated World Bibliography of Printed and Digital Works in the History of Medicine and the Life Sciences from Circa 2000 BCE to 2024 by Fielding H. Garrison (1870-1935), Leslie T. Morton (1907-2004), and Jeremy M. Norman (1945- ) Traditionally Known as “Garrison-Morton”

16049 entries, 14134 authors and 1945 subjects. Updated: November 1, 2024

CHESELDEN, William

5 entries
  • 390

The anatomy of the humane body.

London: N. Cliff & D. Jackson, 1713.

Although Cheselden is best known for his accomplishments in the field of surgery, he wrote two important books on anatomy. The above was for many years a textbook of the English medical schools and ran through 13 editions.



Subjects: ANATOMY › 18th Century, ANATOMY › Anatomical Illustration
  • 4282

A treatise on the high operation for the stone.

London: J. Osborn, 1723.

Cheselden was surgeon to St. Thomas’s Hospital and an outstanding figure in British surgery in the first half of the 18th century. The above work describes his method of performing suprapubic lithotomy, a method which he abandoned in 1727 for the lateral operation. Includes an English translation of Rousset on suprapubic lithotomy, from his book on caesarean section (No. 6236). Rousset laid out the basic principles of the operation although he did not perform it on a living subject. Biography of Cheselden by Sir Zachary Cope, 1953.



Subjects: UROLOGY › Urinary Calculi
  • 5828

An account of some observations made by a young gentleman who was born blind, or lost his sight so early, that he had no remembrance of ever having seen, and was couch’d between 13 and 14 yrs. of age.

Phil. Trans., (1727-28), 35, 447-52, 1729.

The versatile Cheselden made an artificial pupil in an eye in which the products of inflammation had closed or obscured the natural pupil. This iridotomy operation was, next to Daviel’s cataract operation, the most important contribution to ophthalmology during the 18th century.



Subjects: OPHTHALMOLOGY › Ocular Surgery & Procedures
  • 395

Osteographia, or the anatomy of the bones.

London: [William Bowyer for the author], 1733.

This splendidly designed and illustrated work contained full and accurate descriptions of all the human bones, as well as many of animals. Cheselden is the first person to have used the camera obscura to gain precision in his illustrations, and the vignette on the title page shows him using this instrument. The engravings are beautifully executed by Van der Gucht. In 1720 Cheselden inaugurated lectures on anatomy and surgery at St. Thomas’s Hospital. See the paper by K. F. Russell, Bull. Hist. Med., 1954, 28, 32-49, which mentions a trial issue of the book, dated 1728. See also Russell, British Anatomy 1525-1800, 2nd ed., 1987. Facsimile reprint of the undated remainder issue printed without text, Philadelphia, 1968.



Subjects: ANATOMY › 18th Century, ANATOMY › Anatomical Illustration, ART & Medicine & Biology, COMPARATIVE ANATOMY
  • 4284

A remarkable case of a person cut for the stone in the new way, commonly called the lateral, by William Cheselden, Surgeon to Her late Majesty; communicated to Martin Folkes, Pr. R. S. by Mr. Reid, Surgeon at Chelsea, who attended the cure.

Phil. Trans., (1746), 44, 33-35, 1748.

Cheselden’s lateral lithotomy first described in this brief paper by Alexander Reid. Digital facsimile from royalsocietypublishing.org at this link.



Subjects: UROLOGY › Urinary Calculi