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The trail invites you to trace the footsteps of 19th Century doctor Sir Frederick Treves and his life in Dorset. As a resident of Dorchester and a supporter of the hospital, Treves was an eminent surgeon famous for befriending the "Elephant Man" and performing a life-saving operation on the hospital's patron, King Edward VII.
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Treves’ Famous Cases DCH 175 Treves Trail
YouarenowstandingoutsidetheCollitonClub,thisbuildingwashereatthe3mewhenFrederick
TreveshadasurgeryonHighWestStreet.
TrevesperformedthefirstappendectomyinEnglandonthe29thJune1888.His'appendici3s'surgerygavehimanenormousdevelopmentofhisprivate
prac3ce.HebecamethemostsuccessfuloftheLondonsurgeons,receivingmoreoJenthanothers
the100-guineafee.Atthis3methiswastheupperlimitofsurgicalfees.Here3redin1898tofocusonhisprivateworkduetothevolumeofprivatepa3entshereceived.Thisshowsusjusthowsuccessfulhe
wasasasurgeon!
TheElephantMan
TrevesalsotriedtohelpJosephMerrick,or'TheElephantMan',madefamousmorerecentlybythe1977playbyBernard
Pomerance.In1886FrederickTrevesfoundJosephMerrick,or‘theelephantman’inapennypeepshow.Merrickwas24years
oldanddisfigured.Hewassufferingfromcongenitalhypertrophyofcertainbones,withpachydermatoceleandpapillomaoftheskin.Ithasrecentlybeensuggestedthathe
sufferedfromararecongenitalhamartomatousdisordercalledproteussyndrome.TheBMJrecordsthathiscountenancewasso
hideousthatheworeamask.
Trevesshowedhimkindnessandsoughttohelphim
medically.Trevessoughttogethimintovarioushospitalsbuttheywouldnottakehim.
Finally,however,aspecialroomwasbuiltforMerrickata
Londonhospitalandtherehelivedfortherestofhislife.HewasforevergratefultoTreves.Merricksadlydiedin1890,followingcon3nuedgrowthoftheskull,whichbecamesoheavythatitfell
backwardwhilehewasasleepanddislocatedhisneck.
ARoyalPa3ent
EdwardVIIandAlexandrawerecrownedatWestminsterAbbeyon9thAugust1902.
Edward'scorona3onhadbeenscheduledforthe26thJune,buttwodaysbeforeonthe24thJune,Edwardwasdiagnosedwithappendici3s.Appendici3swasgenerallynottreatedopera3vely
andcarriedahighmortalityrate,butdevelopmentsinanaesthesiaandan3sepsisinthepreceding50yearsmadelife-
savingsurgerypossible.
Treves,withthesupportofLordLister,performedathen-radicalopera3onofdraining
theappendixabscessthroughasmallincision.Thenextday,Edwardwassi^ngupinbed,smokingacigar.Twoweekslater,itwasannouncedthattheKingwasoutofdanger.Treveswashonouredwithabaronetcy(whichEdwardhad
arrangedbeforetheopera3on)andappendix
surgeryenteredthemedicalmainstream.
KingEdwardVIIincorona3onrobes
ASuccessfulCareerFurtherevidenceofTreves’successasasurgeoncanbeseenby
thisextractfromtheGalvestonDailyNewsin1911:
‘SirFrederickTrevesissergeantsurgeontothekingandwassurgeonextraordinarytoQueenVictoria.HehasfortwentyyearsbeenoneoftheforemostsurgeonsofEngland.Hewasbornin1853andbecameamemberoftheroyalcollegeof
surgeonsin1874.Hehaslongbeenrecognisedasanauthorityondiseasesoftheabdomen.IntheBoerwar,hewasconsul3ng
surgeontotheBri3sharmy.’
