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THEREVOLUTIONARYDECISIONWHICHSPARKEDASKEPTICALREACTIONAND THELANDMARKSURGERYWHICHMADE EPHRAIMMcDOWELLTHEFATHEROFOVARIOTOMY BrittanyWilharm SeniorDivision IndividualWebsite WordCount:491

WhilesearchingforpossibleNHDtopics,IdiscoveredtheStatutoryHall collectioninDCandrealizeditslistofstatueswouldbeagoodplacetolook.Soon,I foundEphraimMcDowellwhoperformedthefirstOvariotomy.Imnotascience person,andyetIfoundthestoryabsolutelyfascinating. InpastyearsofparticipatinginNHD,Ivecometorealizetheimportanceof firsthandresearch.IbegansearchingforillustrationsfrombooksMcDowellwould haveusedbycontactingtheUniversityofEdinburghLibrarysCentreforResearch Collection(whoreferredmetotheLothianHealthServicesArchive)andtheScottish SocietyoftheHistoryofMedicine.IalsocontactedMcDowellHouseinKentucky withsomepreliminaryquestionsbeforeschedulinganinterviewwhichIfilmedand addedtomywebsite.Finally,IsentaninquirytotheGovernorofKY,SteveBeshear, askingwhyhedeclaredDecember13thJaneCrawforddayandreceivedareplyof explanation.Ialsodidonlineresearch.AfterStateIwenttotheVanderbilt UniversityBiomedicalLibrarywhereIwasshownafilecontainingMcDowell pamphlets,postcards,newspaperclippings,andmedicaljournalarticles.Iwasable toholdinmyhandsJohnBellsbooksdatingbackto1817,whichwasexactlywhatI hadbeenaskingoftheScottishmedicalauthorities. Aswebsitehadbeenmymostsuccessfulcategoryinthepast,Idecidedonthat forthisyear.Plus,itwasthebestmediumtoshowMcDowell.Thefirstpartofmy siteIworkedonwastheheader.IchoseapaintingofDr.McDowell,amapofMrs. Crawfordsjourneysuturetotransitionacorsetwithaskeletontoshowearly gynecology,theprayerMcDowellheldinhispocketduringtheincision,andthe

medicalsymbol.FromthereItookatemplateandcustomizedtheHTMLtomakeit originalandtomyliking. Duetothehazardousnatureofsuchaprocedure,McDowellswasthefirstof itskind,or,eveninthemostheateddebates,thefirstofitskindthatwasdonewith theproperknowledgealreadyinstilledinthesurgeon.Itcouldbedebatedthatthere wasapreviousovariotomy,however,Ihardlyconsiderthistobecompetitionwith McDowellswork.Intheotheroperation,thedoctorfiddledaroundblindlyinside theabdomenofhispatient,mistakingbodypartsforeachother.McDowellwasable toanticipatewhathewouldfindafterhemadetheincisionduetohishigher educationatEdinburghandhisapprenticeshipunderamanwhoallowedhimto operateoncadavers.McDowellsoperationwasdocumentedcarefully,meticulously andcorrectly.McDowellavoidedpublishingtheaccountofhisprocedureforyears untilhehadperfectedthedetailsandperformedtwoadditionalovariotomiesso thattherewouldbenoroomforerrorbyinexperiencedimitatingdoctors.Because ofthisaccuratedocumentation,therevolutionaryprocedurewasabletobe recreated,reformingabdominalsurgeryandsavingcountlesslives.

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