Samuel Pepys and His Stones

The Knife and the Stone

“…The operation was a lateral lithotomy, the modification introduced by Jacques which was a simpler and safer technique than the brutal Marian operation 18 . The presence of a stone was first confirmed by bimanual examination and the passing of a metal instrument along the urethra to sound the stone.…”

‘And so to Pepys’ – the other side of the knife

“…Less is written, however, about the patients who suffered from these bladder stones and indeed suffered the knives of the surgeons who tried to treat them. Much has been written about Pepys' stone over the years, [1][2][3][4][5][6] but not only is it a tale worth the retelling, it yields a fine opportunity to focus on the patient, rather than the surgeons, in the history of urology.…”

Samuel Pepys and his Bladder Stone

“…This was attributed to the cold north-east winds of East Anglia, the hard water and the high cereal diet (Riches, 1977). This was attributed to the cold north-east winds of East Anglia, the hard water and the high cereal diet (Riches, 1977).…”

“…His Pre-medication, apparently effective, was opiate and mandragora, which was soaked into a sponge and given to the patient to inhale (Riches, 1977). His Pre-medication, apparently effective, was opiate and mandragora, which was soaked into a sponge and given to the patient to inhale (Riches, 1977).…”