James (Carrick) Moore (1763-1860): Another (Scottish) Local Anaesthetic Hero.

Abstract

Modern technology has provided the author with access to a previously unobtainable publication, John Moore's 1784 work, 'A Method of Preventing or diminishing Pain in Several Operations of Surgery'. Not only did this allow direct consideration of his technique of nerve compression (which has been described briefly by many others since), but also showed that Moore had very advanced humane views on the need to try and produce pain relief for surgery. It also became possible to obtain far more information on the author, notably that although he worked in London he was born and educated in Glasgow, and did his initial medical training in Edinburgh. He thus is one of a group, all of whom were Scots, who did preliminary work on local anaesthesia before the recognition of the local action of cocaine. His technique was tried, apparently successfully, for a below-knee amputation by John Hunter, and while both the technique and his humane approach were noted by others, the method does not seem to have found wider favour. He continued working as a surgeon in London until he inherited an estate in south-west Scotland, this allowing him to give up clinical practice and focus on writing and campaigning. He wrote the definitive biography of his brother (Sir John Moore of Corunna fame) and was a leading advocate of vaccination, leading the organisation after Jenner's death. These activities meant that he was well known in his lifetime, but he deserves to be better known today as being the first person to promote the need for pain relief during surgery.