Volume 2

A report of the trial of Cooper v. Wakley, for an alleged libel, taken by shorthand writers employed expressly for the occasion; with an engraving of the instruments, and the position of the patient / Together with Mr. B. Cooper's "Prefatory remarks" on the evidence, and a copious explanatory appendix. By Thomas Wakley.

  • Cooper, Bransby Blake, 1792-1853
Date:
1829
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A report of the trial of Cooper v. Wakley, for an alleged libel, taken by shorthand writers employed expressly for the occasion; with an engraving of the instruments, and the position of the patient / Together with Mr. B. Cooper's "Prefatory remarks" on the evidence, and a copious explanatory appendix. By Thomas Wakley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    number of young gentlemen present; had they all signed it, their united opinion of the skill, dexterity, and self-possession, exbibited by Mr. BransBy Cooper on. this occasion, is not likely to influence the judgment of the profession, whatever it may effect with the public. The question to which the manner in’ which the late opera- tion was performed is calculated to give rise, is not aquestion between Mr. BRANnsBY Cooper and his pupils, but it is a question between a surgeon, holding a bigh and responsible situation in Guy’s Hospital, and the public. Of Mr. Branspy Cooper’s amenity of manners, and kindness of disposition, we entertain no doubt ; and the letter in question may be regarded as a testimonial of the estimation in which a good- natured lecturer is held by the young gentlemen who attend his class. But the ques- tion is not, whether Mr. BransBy Cooper is popular among his pupils, but whether he performed the late operation with that degreeof skill, which the public has a right to expect from a surgeon of Guy’s Hospital ; whether, in short, the case presented such difficulties as no degree of skill could have surmounted in less time, or with less disastrous consequences ; or whether the unfortunate patient lost his life, not be- cause his case was really one of extraordinary difficulty, but because it was the turnofa surgeon to operate, who is indebted for his elevation to the influence of a corrupt sys- tem, and who, whatever may be his private virtues, would never have been placed ina situation of such deep responsibility as that which he now occupies, had be not been the nephew of Sir Astley Cooper. This is the question, the only question, in which the public is interested ; and if Mr. Branspy Coorer is desirous of bringing this question | to an issue in a court of justice, it will be for Mr. Harrison, the treasurer of Guy’s Hospital, to enlighten the minds of the jury as to the circumstances under which the nephew of Sir Astley Cooper was elevated to his present situation. In the event of an action, we shall most unquestionably call upon Mr. Harrison to disclose these circumstances to the jury. In the mean time, we do not anticipate the decision of this question by positively impugning Mr. Bransspy Cooprr’s skill; but we contend, as we have repeatedly contended on former occasions, that the inevitable tendency of making the patronage of hospital surgeoncies an affair of family influence, jobbing, and intrigue, is to occasion a cruel and wanton augmentation of human suffering, and to render frequent such heart-rending spectacles as that which was lately exhibited at Guy’s Hospital. «¢ We repeat, that there may, by possibility, have been difficulties in this case, which no degree of surgical skil! could have surmoanted in less time, or with greater ability, than Mr. BranssBy CooprrR exhibited; and it remains to be seen, whether such diffi- culties can be shown to have existed. At present, not a single material fact in our report is denied, though its general accuracy is vaguely questioned by the operator’s pupils. It is not denied that nearly one hour elapsed before Mr. BRaNspy Cooper ex- tracted the stone. Itis not denied that the operator had recourse-to the multiplicity of instruments enumerated in our report. It is not denied that the patient was sub- jected to extraordinary suffering—sutferiug which could scarcely fail to terminate in death ; but no attempt has been made to show that this was a case of extraordinary difficulty. It is scarcely worth while to allude seriously to the document which has been put forth by Mr. BRanspy Coorer’s select pupils. But as these are the only pa- negyrists the operator has hitherto procured, we will put a case, which may enable the public to estimate the value of their approbation. Suppose it had been stated that, instead of employing fifty-five minutes in extracting the stone, Mr. BRANsBy COOPER had performed the operation in the usual time—say four or five minutes. Suppose it had been stated that, instead of manifesting great perplexity and embarrassment, Mr. Branssy Cooper had exhibited the utmost coolness and self-possession; that the patient appeared to suffer very slightly during the operation, and was removed from the theatre with every prospect of a favourable issue to the case. Let us suppose these, and similar false representations to have been made in this Journal; and we will ask whether any of these young gentlemen, friendiy as their feelings are towards a teacher, whose good-nature is matter of greater notoriety than his science, and interested as they are in obtaining his good-will, and his certificates to enable them to pass their examiuations at the College before his ‘ uncle,’ who is the president of that benighted body ;—-we will ask whether any of these young gentlemen, some of whom did, and more than ONE-THIRD of whom did noé see the eperation, would have come forward to contradict a favourable, though a false, report. We-repeat that we do not, as the case stands at present, directly and positively, impugn Mr, Branspy Cooper’s surgical skill; but, as none of the material facts detailed in our report have been, or, we believe, can be, contradicted; we do not hesitate to say, that, looking to the circumstances attending | this and other operations performed by this gentleman; in connexion with the cir- cumstances—we believe that we are justified, and that Mr. Harrison, the treasurer of Guy’s Hospital, knows we are justified, in saying, the extraordinary circumstances .