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More LISTON facts & stories

(taken from our recent newsletters)

    As stated earlier, there are over 8,000 Listons in the world today and they break down roughly as follows -
   

  
    This of course doesn't include those of us not named Liston, but who share the same ancestry nonetheless! 

      (For a more detailed view of where Liston families live today have a look at the 'Worldwide Liston's'  page)

 

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    Whilst browsing on the Internet recently, I came across a site that featured many notable people from the medical world and their exploits, in a light hearted manner. 

    Included was a feature on Robert Liston the eminent Surgeon of his era and 'Famous Liston'. It is reproduced below and left for you to decide how much of it is fact ! 

    "Robert Liston was the fastest knife in the West End. He could amputate a leg in two and a half minutes.

    An abrupt, abrasive, argumentative man, unfailingly charitable to the poor and tender to the sick, he became Professor of Surgery at University College Hospital in London and made a fortune.

    He was six foot two, and operated in a bottle-green coat with Wellington boots. He sprung across the bloodstained boards upon his swooning, sweating, strapped down patient like a duelist, calling "Time me, gentlemen, time me!" to students craning with pocket watches from the iron-railinged galleries. To free both hands, Liston would clasp the bloody knife between his teeth!

    Robert Liston's reputation for speedy wizardry so choked his waiting room, the butler had to circulate a reviving decanter of madeira and biscuits.  Prior to anaesthesia, one had the choice of fuddling with opium or rum, or biting on a cloth wrapped peg - surgery was a matter of more haste, less pain.

    Liston invented see-through isinglass adhesive tape, the "bull-dog" artery forceps, and a leg splint still used during World War II. He was rumoured enthusiastically to "resurrect" his own corpses. 

    It was Robert Liston who performed, on December 21 1846, the first operation under anaesthesia in Europe. 
    He commented at the time "This Yankee dodge beats mesmerism hollow!" 

    Later on this page - Robert Listons   four most famous cases.

 

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    From the 'Police and Courts' section of the Times Newspaper dated 24th December 1879 -

    'At Worship St, John LISTON age 47 and giving his address as a common lodging house in Hoxton was charged with breaking and entering a private house in Dalston, with felonious intent.
    A 12 year old boy was going home through Queens Rd at about 5.30 pm on Monday night and saw LISTON in the garden there. He saw him go up to the window of the dining room and smash a pane of glass with his fist, climb in, then strike a light once in the room.
    LISTON was seen to try the room door without result.  He then took a poker from the fireplace and again tried to get the door open without success. The prisoner then put out the light, climbed out of the window, passed out into the street and walked away.
    The witness told a Constable what he had seen and the Constable took LISTON into custody.  When charged with the offence the prisoner replied "Well I must put up with it".
    After hearing the account Mr Hannay, presiding, said it was remarkable that such a thing should be attempted.
'How often did Constables pass on the beat?' he demanded of Inspector Maynard. 'In that part only once an hour' said the officer. 
    'It is no wonder then that the suburbs are infested with burglars !' retorted the Magistrate. 'But for the boy, the prisoner would have escaped'. 

    He then committed LISTON for trial.

    The only winner in this sorry episode was the boy, who was awarded 5 shillings from the poor box as a reward for his good conduct.'

    Another felonious Liston later on this page. 

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    Our forebears were responsible for naming many places throughout the world such as Kirkliston in Scotland, Listonburg Pennsylvania, Liston Point in Delaware and Listonhill in Sweden to name but a few. 

    Pictured above is the parish church of Liston in Essex, England. This village was probably the first place in the world to bear the name.

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    Anne Liston from Ireland kindly sent this story about her mother's uncle, Canon James Liston, which greatly influenced the history of Ireland for much of the twentieth century.

   Canon James Liston and Eamon de Valera

    Eamon de Valera was born in America in 1882. 
    In 1885 he was brought to Bruree in Co. Limerick to be reared by his maternal grandmother. 
    He attended Bruree National School and then went to secondary school in Charleville for two years until he was sixteen. Further education was impossible, as his uncle was but a farm labourer, unless he won a scholarship. Although intellectually very gifted he failed to get a place at either of the Limerick's boarding schools- St. Munchin's and Mungret Colleges.
    The reality was that without a chance of further education he would end up breaking stones or digging potatoes. (Some would say that this might have been better - depending on one's political views)

    His chance came about because of the intervention of Fr. James Liston, who was then curate at Bruree.
    Fr. James wrote to Fr. Larry Healy, President of Blackrock College in Dublin. The two priests met on a train journey to Lisdoonvarna. During the meeting Fr. James told Fr. Healy about his bright young parishioner.
    Fr. Healy turned up trumps and, although the school year had already begun, he replied to Fr. James accepting the lad. From what was known of him he said his new pupil would have a "pretty brilliant career".

    De Valera did very well in Blackrock and later went on to become a world figure.

    Fr. Liston later became Canon Liston and died in Ardagh in 1937. He is buried in the church grounds.

                                                                                                

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    As promised, below are the four most famous (or should it be infamous?) cases of Robert Liston, the famous 19th century surgeon.

    Liston's fourth most famous case

    Removal in four minutes of a 45-pound scrotal tumour, whose owner had to carry it around in a wheelbarrow.

    Liston's third most famous case

    Argument with his intern. Was the red, pulsating tumour in a small boy's neck a straightforward abscess of the skin? Or a dangerous aneurism of the carotid artery? 
    "Pooh!" Liston exclaimed impatiently. "Whoever heard of an aneurism in a boy so young?". Flashing a knife from his waistcoat pocket, he lanced it. 
    Intern's note: "Out leaped arterial blood and the boy fell."    

    The patient died but the artery lives, in the University College Hospital pathology museum specimen No. 1256.

    Liston's second most famous case

    Amputated the leg in two and a half minutes, but in his enthusiasm the patient's testicles as well.

    Liston's most famous case

    Amputated the leg in under two and a half minutes - the patient died afterwards in the ward from hospital gangrene (they often did in those early days). 
    He amputated in addition, the fingers of his young assistant who too died afterward in the ward from hospital gangrene. 
    Liston also slashed through the coat tails of a distinguished surgical spectator, who was so terrified that the knife had pierced his vitals that he dropped dead from fright.

    Thus ended the only operation in history with a 300 percent mortality !"      

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    A second Liston 'Black Sheep' from the 'Police and Courts' section of the Times Newspaper dated 22nd August 1879 -

    'At Hammersmith a respectably dressed young man who gave the name of Harry LISTON but refused his address was brought up on remand in front of Mr Woolwych, charged on his own confession with stealing a purse containing three shillings, nine and a half pence from a young lady at the Addison Road Railway Station.

    The prisoner had twice been remanded for the owner of the purse to be found.

    Miss Mary Kingdon from Notting Hill said on the morning of last Bank Holiday, she accompanied a party of 150 from St James Church, Norland Road to the station for an excursion to Windsor.
    Whilst on the train she had missed the purse and its contents. She had heard no more about it till Monday last when she received information from a Constable.

    LISTON presented a remarkable defence. He said he did not know the young lady. She was not the prosecutrix in his case and although acknowledging stealing a purse from a young lady at the station on the same day, it was not from Miss Kingdon.

    The prisoner said he was therefore not guilty of stealing her purse but Mr Woolwych committed him for trial.'

   However, at his subsequent trial despite an eloquent defence of himself, LISTON was found guilty.

 

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    This story was told by Nancy Ann Hunt and is featured in the book the 'Listons of America'.

    In the late 1700's Edmund and Elizabeth Liston lived with their family in Knox County near the fort of Vincennes, Indiana. They lived in a cabin and worked the fields but stayed in the fort at night. The Indians were numerous in the vicinity and as history shows were at times friendly, at others warlike. 

    Some of the Indians were in the habit of visiting the Liston home and practicing archery with the boys. The daughters at home then were Delilah and Elizabeth and the latter was a beautiful girl. One of the younger Indians took a fancy to her and would often aim his bow and arrow at her purposely to scare her. However no one amongst the rest of the Liston family had noticed his attachment.

    One day a squaw called on the Listons and said her son (the young Indian) was sick at heart and wanted the girl 'Lizzie' Liston for his squaw. Her request being promptly refused she went away, but on the following day two Indians came and went straight into the cabin and threw some silver money on the table. They seized Lizzie Liston and ran off with her between them as fast as they could. 

    The screams of the girl were heard by a brother who was at work in a field about half a mile away and he gave chase on his horse. He soon overtook them and released his sister.

    On their return to the cabin they found the silver money the Indians had left was gone.

 

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