Liston, ROBERT

Liston, ROBERT, a celebrated surgeon, was born at Ecclesmachan manse, near Linlithgow, in 1794. He studied at Edinburgh and London, and settled in Edinburgh in 1818 as lecturer on surgery and anatomy. His surgical skill, and the rapidity with which his operations were performed, soon acquired for him a European reputation; and in 1835 he accepted the invitation of the council of University College, London, to fill the chair of Clinical Surgery. He soon acquired a large London practice; in 1840 he was elected a member of the council of the College of Surgeons; and in 1846 he became one of the Board of Examiners. In the very climax of his fame, he died 7th December 1847. His most important works are Elements of Surgery (1831) and Practical Surgery (1837). His uncontrollable temper and strong language involved him in various quarrels with his professional brethren, yet he always succeeded in obtaining the regard and esteem of his pupils.