key hole surgery

[bevsyson]

Who discovered keyhole surgery and when

[Emily Ball]

I think it was Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri.

[RevShirls]

And a wonderful man he is too. Prof Cushieri was based at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee until recently. I used to work with his daughter in a baker's shop in St. Andrew's when we were both students in the 1980s.

You can read a wee bit more about Prof Cushieri here:

http://www.louisvillesurgery.com/suture/vol14_1/cushpage.htm

[janesmythe22]

Not British, my dear. It all started more than 100 yrs ago (George Kelling, Dresden and Vitezslav Chelamsky, Czech surgeon), but true glory belongs to Kurt Karl Stephan Semm, died 2 yrs ago, Kiel University Germany-just look what it reads on CO2 insufflators (at least on most of them).

I do hope that you don't think that even 'ventouse' (vacuum extractor, really), was invented by British. You may ask about forceps some other time.

[Emily Ball]

Inasmuch as surgical procedures evolve and are improved upon over the years, I'm sure Sir Alfred would acknowledge that the work of people like Semm, Kelling et al was influential on his own. Never the less, he is universally considered to be the pioneer of actual minimal access surgery, as practised today. The question was a simple one - it was not about insufflators, ventouse or forceps despite 'janesmythe22's strange and somewhat patronising answer .

[janesmythe22]

Fair enough. Nobody "discovered" keyhole surgery. It evolved. Your good doctor may be well known to you, but truly one who struggled most to get the whole concept through, was Kurt Semm. The reason to mention the CO2 insufflator, was to point to the fact that most of "keyhole" surgery instruments, were invented and patented by KS (apart from the Veres or Veress needle, named after Dr Janos Veres from Hungary, who invented and used it to create the artificial pneumothorax, never for pneumoperitoneum). Then again, first to use the Veres needle for pneumoperitoneum, were either K. Semm or R. Witsomer (R. Palmer, as well). So, yes it was Kurt Semm who "discovered" keyhole surgery.

But if it suits you better to have it done by some British doctor, why not Chris Sutton or John Day.

NB Same long and twisted history of ventouse and forceps.  

[Emily Ball]

Unless I am very much mistaken the Professor is of Maltese extraction.

[janesmythe22]

So our good professor is of "Maltese extraction". This was helpful. I suppose it'll settle the issue "who 'discovered' keyhole surgery".