William Cheselden, a quick and precise surgeon who could remove bladder stones in less than one minute, was instrumental in raising surgery to a profession. Cheselden also was a significant educator on the early teachings of anatomy, and served as court physician to Queen Caroline.

Born in 1688 in Somerby, Leicestershire, England, Cheselden's premedical education consisted of classical Greek and Latin literature. At age 15 he was apprenticed to a Leicester surgeon. Moving to London, he studied under the anatomist William Cowper and James Ferne, a surgeon at St. Thomas's Hospital.

After Cheselden was admitted to the Company of Barber-Surgeons, he began lecturing on anatomy at St. Thomas's at age 22. Three years after that, he published Anatomy of the Human Body, which was written in English instead of the Latin, which was commonly used for such books. Cheselden's Anatomy remained in print for almost a century. Venturing beyond mere structural...