(1/7) THREAD 👇 A little tale from my book #TheButcheringArt. This is Robert Penman. In 1828, he approached the surgeon James Syme in desperation after developing a bony, fibrous tumor in his lower jaw. At the time, it was about the size of a hen’s egg. (Cast: @surgeonshall). 
(2/7) A local surgeon excised the teeth embedded in the growth, but the tumor continued to grow until he reached a point where eating and breathing became extremely difficult. The tumor now weighed over 4.5 pounds and obscured most of his lower face.
(3/7) On the day of the operation, Penman was seated upright in a chair, and his arms and legs restrained. Because neither ether nor chloroform had yet been discovered, Penman was administered no anesthetic.
(4/7) The patient steadied himself as Syme (pictured here) stepped forward, knife in hand. Most jaw tumors were gouged out during this time, beginning at the center of the growth and extending to the periphery. Syme had a different approach in mind.
(5/7) He proceeded to cut into the unaffected part of the man’s lower jawbone, in order to remove the tumor and some of the healthy tissue around it, and ensure that it was completely eradicated. (Image: @WellcomeLibrary).
(6/7) For twenty-four excruciating minutes, Syme hacked away at the bony growth, dropping slices of tumor and jawbone with a sickening rattle into a bucket at his feet. Here is part of the tumour, now at @surgeonshall in Edinburgh.
(7/7) And yet, against all odds, Penman survived. This is a photo of him later in life. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Victorian surgery, do check out my book #TheButcheringArt, now available in paperback: amzn.to/2ItueY0
