Morell Mackenzie
Encyclopedia
Sir Morell Mackenzie was a British physician
, one of the pioneers of laryngology
in the United Kingdom
.
, Essex
, England
on July 7, 1837. He was the son of Stephen Mackenzie, a general practitioner
and surgeon
. He was educated at Dr Greig's school in Walthamstow and at King's College London
.
After going through the medical course at the London Hospital and becoming a member to the Royal College of Surgeons
in 1858, he studied abroad in Paris
, Vienna
and Budapest
where he learned the use of the newly-invented laryngoscope
under Johann Czermak
.
Returning to London
in 1862, he worked at the London Hospital and earned his degree in medicine. In 1863 he won the Jacksonian prize at the Royal College of Surgeons
for an essay on the Pathology and Treatment of Diseases of the Larynx: The Diagnostic Indications to include the Appearance as Seen in the Living Person. He was the first to use the terms abductors and adductors
to describe the muscle
s that govern the opening and closing of the glottis
. He then devoted himself to becoming a specialist in diseases of the throat
.
In 1863 the Throat Hospital in King Street
, Golden Square, was founded, largely owing to his initiative, and by his work there and at the London Hospital (where he was one of the physicians from 1866 to 1873) Morell Mackenzie rapidly became recognized throughout Europe
as a leading authority, and acquired an extensive practice.
His reputation grew even more with the publication of three important books, which became the founding stones of the new specialty of laryngology:
In 1887 Mackenzie was one of the founders of the Journal of Laryngology and Rhinology and of the British Rhino-Laryngological Association.
So great was his reputation that in May 1887, when the crown prince of Germany (afterwards the Emperor Frederick III) was attacked by the affection of the throat of which he ultimately died, Morell Mackenzie was specially summoned to attend him. The German physicians who had attended the prince since the beginning of March (Karl Gerhardt
, and subsequently Adalbert Tobold, Ernst von Bergmann
, and others), had diagnosed his ailment on May 18th as cancer
of the throat; but Morell Mackenzie insisted (basing his opinion on a microscopical
examination by the great pathologist Rudolf Virchow
of a portion of the tissue) that the disease was not demonstrably cancerous, that an operation for the extirpation of the larynx (planned for the May 21st) was unjustifiable, and that the growth might well be a benign
one and therefore curable by other treatment. The question was one not only of personal but of political importance, since it was doubted whether any one suffering from an incapacitating disease like cancer could, according to the family law of the Hohenzollerns, occupy the German throne; and there was talk of a renunciation of the succession by the crown prince. It was freely hinted, moreover, that some of the doctors themselves were influenced by political considerations. At any rate, Morell Mackenzie's opinion was followed: the crown prince went to England, under his treatment, and was present at the Jubilee
celebrations in June. Morell Mackenzie was knighted in September 1887 for his services, and decorated with the Grand Cross of the Hohenzollern Order. In November, however, the German doctors were again called into consultation, and it was ultimately admitted that the disease really was cancer; though Mackenzie, with very questionable judgment, more than hinted that it had become malignant since his first examination, in consequence of the irritating effect of the treatment by the German doctors. The crown prince became emperor on March 9th 1888, and died on June 15th. During all this period a violent quarrel raged between Sir Morell Mackenzie and the German medical world. The German doctors published an account of the illness, to which Mackenzie replied by a work entitled The Fatal Illness of Frederick the Noble (1888), the publication of which caused him to be censured by the Royal College of Surgeons.
After this sensational episode in his career, the remainder of Sir Morell Mackenzie's life was uneventful, and he died somewhat suddenly in London, on February 3, 1892 and was buried in the churchyard at Wargrave
in Berkshire
where he had a house in the country. He published several books on laryngoscopy
and diseases of the throat.
Biographies of Mackenzie were published by H.R. Haweis (1893) and R. Scott Stevenson (1946).
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, one of the pioneers of laryngology
Laryngology
Laryngology is that branch of medicine which deals with disorders, diseases and injuries of the vocal apparatus, especially the larynx. Common conditions addressed by laryngologists include vocal fold nodules and cysts, laryngeal cancer, spasmodic dysphonia, laryngopharyngeal reflux, papillomas,...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Biography
Morell Mackenzie was born at LeytonstoneLeytonstone
Leytonstone is an area of east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is a high density suburban area, located seven miles north east of Charing Cross in the ceremonial county of Greater London and the historic county of Essex...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on July 7, 1837. He was the son of Stephen Mackenzie, a general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
and surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
. He was educated at Dr Greig's school in Walthamstow and at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
.
After going through the medical course at the London Hospital and becoming a member to the Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
in 1858, he studied abroad in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
where he learned the use of the newly-invented laryngoscope
Laryngoscope
Laryngoscopy is a medical procedure that is used to obtain a view of the vocal folds and the glottis. Laryngoscopy may be performed to facilitate tracheal intubation during general anesthesia or cardiopulmonary resuscitation or for procedures on the larynx or other parts of the upper...
under Johann Czermak
Johann Nepomuk Czermak
Johann Nepomuk Czermak was an Austrian-German physiologist who was a native of Prague. He studied in Prague, Vienna, Breslau and Würzburg. At Breslau he was greatly influenced by the work of physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně...
.
Returning to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1862, he worked at the London Hospital and earned his degree in medicine. In 1863 he won the Jacksonian prize at the Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
for an essay on the Pathology and Treatment of Diseases of the Larynx: The Diagnostic Indications to include the Appearance as Seen in the Living Person. He was the first to use the terms abductors and adductors
Anatomical terms of motion
The movement of body structures is accomplished by the contraction of muscles. Muscles may move parts of the skeleton relatively to each other, or may move parts of internal organs relatively to each other. All such movements are classified by the directions in which the affected structures are moved...
to describe the muscle
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
s that govern the opening and closing of the glottis
Glottis
The glottis is defined as the combination of the vocal folds and the space in between the folds .-Function:...
. He then devoted himself to becoming a specialist in diseases of the throat
Throat
In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the anterior part of the neck, in front of the vertebral column. It consists of the pharynx and larynx...
.
In 1863 the Throat Hospital in King Street
King Street
-Australia:*King Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia*King Street, Newtown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia*King Street, Perth, Western Australia, Australia*King Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia*King Street, Devonport, Tasmania, Australia-Canada:...
, Golden Square, was founded, largely owing to his initiative, and by his work there and at the London Hospital (where he was one of the physicians from 1866 to 1873) Morell Mackenzie rapidly became recognized throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as a leading authority, and acquired an extensive practice.
His reputation grew even more with the publication of three important books, which became the founding stones of the new specialty of laryngology:
- The Use of the Laryngoscope in Diseases of the Throat (1865).
- Growths in the Larynx (1871).
- Diseases of the Nose and Throat (1880 and 1884).
In 1887 Mackenzie was one of the founders of the Journal of Laryngology and Rhinology and of the British Rhino-Laryngological Association.
So great was his reputation that in May 1887, when the crown prince of Germany (afterwards the Emperor Frederick III) was attacked by the affection of the throat of which he ultimately died, Morell Mackenzie was specially summoned to attend him. The German physicians who had attended the prince since the beginning of March (Karl Gerhardt
Carl Jakob Adolf Christian Gerhardt
Carl Jakob Adolf Christian Gerhardt ; was a German internist born in Speyer....
, and subsequently Adalbert Tobold, Ernst von Bergmann
Ernst von Bergmann
Ernst von Bergmann was a Baltic German surgeon. He is the beginner of aseptic surgery.Born in Riga, Livonia , in 1860 he earned his doctorate at the University of Dorpat, and later returned to Dorpat in 1871, where he was a professor of surgery until 1878...
, and others), had diagnosed his ailment on May 18th as cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
of the throat; but Morell Mackenzie insisted (basing his opinion on a microscopical
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
examination by the great pathologist Rudolf Virchow
Rudolf Virchow
Rudolph Carl Virchow was a German doctor, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist and politician, known for his advancement of public health...
of a portion of the tissue) that the disease was not demonstrably cancerous, that an operation for the extirpation of the larynx (planned for the May 21st) was unjustifiable, and that the growth might well be a benign
Benign
A benign tumor is a tumor that lacks the ability to metastasize. Common examples of benign tumors include moles and uterine fibroids.The term "benign" implies a mild and nonprogressive disease. Indeed, many kinds of benign tumors are harmless to human health...
one and therefore curable by other treatment. The question was one not only of personal but of political importance, since it was doubted whether any one suffering from an incapacitating disease like cancer could, according to the family law of the Hohenzollerns, occupy the German throne; and there was talk of a renunciation of the succession by the crown prince. It was freely hinted, moreover, that some of the doctors themselves were influenced by political considerations. At any rate, Morell Mackenzie's opinion was followed: the crown prince went to England, under his treatment, and was present at the Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
celebrations in June. Morell Mackenzie was knighted in September 1887 for his services, and decorated with the Grand Cross of the Hohenzollern Order. In November, however, the German doctors were again called into consultation, and it was ultimately admitted that the disease really was cancer; though Mackenzie, with very questionable judgment, more than hinted that it had become malignant since his first examination, in consequence of the irritating effect of the treatment by the German doctors. The crown prince became emperor on March 9th 1888, and died on June 15th. During all this period a violent quarrel raged between Sir Morell Mackenzie and the German medical world. The German doctors published an account of the illness, to which Mackenzie replied by a work entitled The Fatal Illness of Frederick the Noble (1888), the publication of which caused him to be censured by the Royal College of Surgeons.
After this sensational episode in his career, the remainder of Sir Morell Mackenzie's life was uneventful, and he died somewhat suddenly in London, on February 3, 1892 and was buried in the churchyard at Wargrave
Wargrave
Wargrave is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, which encloses the confluence of the River Loddon and the River Thames. It is in the Borough of Wokingham...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
where he had a house in the country. He published several books on laryngoscopy
Laryngoscope
Laryngoscopy is a medical procedure that is used to obtain a view of the vocal folds and the glottis. Laryngoscopy may be performed to facilitate tracheal intubation during general anesthesia or cardiopulmonary resuscitation or for procedures on the larynx or other parts of the upper...
and diseases of the throat.
Biographies of Mackenzie were published by H.R. Haweis (1893) and R. Scott Stevenson (1946).
Writings
- The Use of the Laryngoscope in Diseases of the Throat. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston, 1865.
- Hoarseness, Loss of Voice, and Stridulous Breathing in Relation to Nervo-Muscular Affectations of the Larynx. London: Churchill, 1868.
- Essays on Growths in the Larynx. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston, 1871.
- The Pharmacopoeia of the Hospital for Diseases of the Throat. London: Churchill, 1872.
- Diphtheria: Its Nature and Treatment, Varieties and Local Expressions. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston, 1879.
- Diseases of the Pharynx, Larynx, and Trachea. New York: W. Wood, 1880.
- A Manual of the Diseases of the Nose and Throat. London: Churchill, 1880-1884.
- The Hygiene of the Vocal Organs: A Practical Handbook for Singers and Speakers. London: Macmillan, 1886.
- Hay Fever and Paroxysmal Sneezing: Their Etiology and Threatment. London: Churchill, 1887.
- The Fatal Illness of Frederick the Noble. London: Low, Marston, Searle, 1888.
External links
- http://www.entnet.org/museum/famous-figures/morell-mackenzie.cfm. Extensive biography and his role in the history of laryngology.