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William T. Bovie and electrosurgery.

William T. Bovie and electrosurgery.

Authors :
O'Connor JL
Bloom DA
Source :
Surgery [Surgery] 1996 Apr; Vol. 119 (4), pp. 390-6.
Publication Year :
1996

Abstract

For thousands of years human beings have used heat in the form of cautery to treat trauma and disease. By the late nineteenth century, as technology advanced, heat could be produced by electric current. In 1920 William T. Bovie, an eccentric inventor with a doctorate in plant physiology, developed an innovative electrosurgical unit that Harvey Cushing, the founder of modern neurosurgery, introduced to clinical practice. The Bovine unit passes high frequency alternating current into the body allowing the current to cut or coagulate. After 75 years this basic device remains a fundamental tool in the practice of surgery.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0039-6060
Volume :
119
Issue :
4
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Surgery
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
8644002
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0039-6060(96)80137-1