William Henry Battle
William Henry Battle (1855 – 1936) was an English surgeon.
Eponynmously associated with a sign, incision and operation…best known for his description of a mastoid ecchymosis as an indicator of a skull base fracture (Battle sign)
Credited with the first report of a laparotomy to relieve intestinal obstruction resulting from adhesions
Served in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Actively contributions to The Lancet editorial board and British Medical Association
Biography
- Born 23rd February 1855 Lincoln, England
- 1877 – Graduated from St. Thomas’s Medical School, London
- 1889 – Appointed Hunterian Professor in Surgery and Pathology (Royal College of Surgeons)
- 1892 – Editor of “A Mirror of hospital practice” a feature in The Lancet
- 1914-18 No 5 London general hospital, with rank of lieutenant-colonel, RAMC
- Died 2nd February 1936 Woking, Surrey
Medical Eponyms
- Battle sign – Postauricular (mastoid) ecchymosis as an indication of fracture of the base of the skull.
- Battle incision – vertical incision of the abdominal wall with temporary retraction of the rectus muscle medially.
- Battle operation – alternate operative approach for femoral hernia repair
Major Publications
- Battle WH. Three Lectures on Some Points Relating to Injuries to the Head. Br Med J. 1890; 2(1540): 4-10 [Battle sign]
- Battle WH. Lectures on some points relating to injuries to the head. Lancet 1890; 136: 3489: 57–63
Battle WH. Abstract of a clinical lecture on femoral hernia. Lancet 1901: 157;4040: 302–305 - Battle WH. Modified incision for removal of the vermiform appendix. Br Med J 1895; 2: 1360 [Battle incision]
- Battle WH, Corner EM. The surgery of the diseases of the appendix vermiformis and their complications. London, 1904. [Battle operation]
- Battle WH. The acute abdomen. London, 1911
References
- Tubbs RS, Shoja MM, Loukas M, Oakes WJ, Cohen-Gadol A. William Henry Battle and Battle’s sign: mastoid ecchymosis as an indicator of basilar skull fracture. J Neurosurg. 2010 Jan;112(1):186-8.
- Epperla N, Mazza JJ, Yale SH. A Review of Clinical Signs Related to Ecchymosis. WMJ. 2015 Apr;114(2):61-5.
eponym
the person behind the name
