by
Carol Ko, Staff Writer | December 25, 2013
From the December 2013 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Most notably, the surgery was performed without benefit of anesthetic or disinfection, neither of which was then known to the medical profession. Unsurprisingly, all attempts at abdominal surgery before 1809 had resulted in peritonitis and death.
The key to McDowell’s success in this procedure probably lay in his meticulous hygiene, which was consistently described by others as “neat” and “scrupulously clean.” In his report on the operation, he described the removal of blood from the peritoneal cavity and bathing the intestines with warm water.
McDowell did not publish a description of his procedure until 1817, after he had performed two more such operations. All in all, historical evidence suggests he performed at least twelve similar operations to remove ovarian cysts.
Like his father, Dr. McDowell became a well-respected cornerstone of the community for the remainder of his life, founding Trinity Episcopal Church in Danville, and also founding the primary board of trustees of Centre College in Danville. Dr. McDowell became a member of the Philadelphia Medical Society in 1817.
McDowell died on June 25, most likely due to appendicitis, and was buried at "Traveller's Rest” south of Danville. He was later reinterred in 1879 near a monument dedicated to him in Danville.
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