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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Paper, 'Account of Fr [Friar] James's way of cutting for the stone' by Dr [Pierre] Sylvester [Silvestre]

Reference number: CLP/12i/57

Date: 1690s

Description

The first page of the paper is written in French and describes Brother James of Beaulieu's method for removing bladder stones. The following five pages, written in English, details a particular operation performed by Brother James to remove a bladder stone from a ten-year-old boy at the convent of the Capuchins of Antwerp [Belgium]. Brother James' intervention was not particularly successful and the boy died the following day.

Subject: Surgery

First part read to the Royal Society on 10 August 1698; second part read 22 June 1699.

Reference number
CLP/12i/57
Earliest possible date
1690s
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
6 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

Pierre Silvestre

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Citation

Pierre Silvestre, Paper, 'Account of Fr [Friar] James's way of cutting for the stone' by Dr [Pierre] Sylvester [Silvestre], 1690s, CLP/12i/57, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/clp_12i_57/paper-account-of-fr-friar-jamess-way-of-cutting-for-the-stone-by-dr-pierre-sylvester-silvestre, accessed on 17 July 2026

Link to this record

https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/clp_12i_57/paper-account-of-fr-friar-jamess-way-of-cutting-for-the-stone-by-dr-pierre-sylvester-silvestre

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  • Classified Papers

    The 'Classified Papers' of the Royal Society are papers from British and international natural philosophers and scholars categorised according to subject areas.

    Dates: 1592 - 1741

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