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His surgical school remained open after his death until 1938.
This painting is of huge historical importance as it depicts with precision a surgical operation of late 19th century.
In a painting of 1889 by Adalbert Seligmann (1862-1945),
Seligmann also evidences the leadership of a renowned
titled “Billroth in the operating theatre” (figure 48), Billroth is
surgeon and educator. Today, the artwork is housed in the
represented when he was sixty, at the top of his professional
“Belvedere Museum” of Vienna.
career. He turns his head away from the patient, perhaps to give some explanation to the audience, while one of the seven
We owe his surgical achievements, which he attained with
assistants that surrounds him and the patient gives him a
thorough attention to each and every scientific and technical
clamp. The patient is in a semi-seated, supine position. His head
detail, to caution and not to risk: “One may perform surgical
has been shaved. According to the artist’s notes, the painting is
procedures only if there is a chance of success. To operate without
about a neurotomy to treat a trigeminal neuralgia. The patient
having a chance means to prostitute the beautiful art and science
is administered general anesthesia by the open-drop method:
of surgery and make it suspicious before colleagues and non-
a volatile liquid anesthetic agent is dripped, one drop at a
colleagues. But, how can one measure the chance of success?
time, onto a porous cloth or mask held over the patient’s face.
Through the tireless study of our science, the severe critic of our
Billroth preferred a mixture of chloroform, alcohol and ether,
and other’s observations, the most accurate investigation in
anticipating the modern trend of administering several agents
each particular case and through the critical evaluation of our
within the anesthesia. Billroth is also using Lister’s method of
experiments”.
sterilization and asepsis. Rubber gloves were not being worn Above successes, he appraised the development of solid
in surgery.
methods for typical operations, so that surgery not be effective The light from a huge window at the right of the surgeon
only in few hands. “The greatest happiness of my life was founding
illuminates the room. There are many people in the
a school that conveys my scientific and humanitarian goals and
grandstand witnessing the operation, including the artist, that
aspirations.” He achieved this aspiration in an exceptional
painted himself sat on the first row’s right side, and the Duke of
manner and some well-known disciples such as Czerny,
Bavaria, who used to assist to operations and conferences to
Gussenbauer, Winiwarter, Wölfler, Eiselsberg, Mikulicz or
keep himself entertained, sat in on the opposite side.
Riedel, among others (figure 49), joined the already mentioned
Figure 45: Billroth with his assistants (1871), from left to right: Robert Gersuny, Vincenz Czerny, Billroth, Menzel and Steiner. Standing, from left to right: Karl Gussenbauer, Lobmayer, Satller, Vladan GjorgjeviÁ, Pernitza and Pfleger.
ALMA Culture&Medicine - Editorial Alfredo Buzzi - www.editorialalfredobuzzi.com