History of Medical and Surgical Management of Acute Cholecystitis

Awareness that bile and the gallbladder play some sort of role in health and disease dates from antiquity, but not to a knowledgeable degree except for the last two centuries. Although this volume deals specifically with acute cholecystitis, little is written specifically about it from an historic perspective. Therefore, discussed herein is the history of gallbladder surgery and some of those who pioneered the field, which it is hoped will make for informative and enjoyable reading. This is a story of ancient history, ignorance and superstition, anatomists doing clandestine postmortem examinations, the emergence of the scientific method, surgical audacity, and remarkable advances in technology.