Richard Morton, M.D. 1637-1698

Abstract

the author of the well known "Phthisiologia, seu exercitationes de phthisi," deserves a place in the ranks of the early pediatrists, for he was perhaps the first to describe the condition of chylous ascites in early life, and he not only reported a case with autopsy but made the diagnosis during life\p=m-\nomean feat in those days, or in these either, without using methods which Morton did not have at his command.Morton, a contemporary of Sydenham, is an interesting figure in medicine. He was born in 1637 and matriculated in 1654 as a commoner in Magdalen Hall at Oxford, but later changed to New College, from which he received his A.B. degree in 1657 and his M.A. degree in 1659. Soon after he got his first degree he was chaplain to his college, and later he was a chaplain in a wealthy family and was given the living at Kinver in Staffordshire, but as he was unable to comply with the Act of Uniformity, he was relieved of this position. He then began the study of medicine. He received his M.D. degree at Oxford on the nomination of the Prince of Orange in 1670, and settled in London where, in 1679, he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physi¬ cians and incorporated at Cambridge on his doctor's degree in the following year. He served several times as Censor of the College and was one of the physicians in ordinary to the king. He lived in London in Grey Friars Court, Newgate Street, and when he died in 1698 he was buried in the middle aisle of Christ Church, Newgate Street.His portrait was painted by B. Orchard, and Elder's engraving of this portrait appears in some of his books. The English editions have a portrait painted and engraved by R. White. Morton wrote two books and some other articles in addition to his "Phthisiologia," which is based on his own experience and observations and makes interesting reading. He used the word "phthisiologia" in a very broad sense and included under it not only tuberculous conditions but wasting from any cause.

Chyloperitoneum After Penetrating Abdominal Trauma: A Report of a Rare Case

“…The term chyloperitoneum refers to the accumulation of triglyceride-rich, milky-appearing fluid in the abdominal cavity. It is an uncommon clinical entity that was first described by Morton in 1694 as a result of disruption of the cisterna chyli in the setting of tuberculosis [ 4 ]. The prevalence of chyloperitoneum was approximately one in 20,000 admissions at a large university-based hospital over a two-decade period as reported by Press et al [ 5 ].…”

Chylous Ascites: A Case of Child Abuse and an Overview of a Rare Condition

“…Trauma was recognized as early as the seventeenth century as a cause of chylous ascites. Morton later described other causes (1). In this paper we describe a case of child abuse that resulted in traumatic chylous ascites and discuss the various causes of and treatments for chylous ascites.…”