MD FRCSI Year of birth from age given at death TCD Johnson Zachariah, Pen Mr White Dec 1 1828 aged 17 s of William Procurator Agrarius b Wexford BA Vern 1836 MA Vern 1853 Entry in Medical Register of 1880 Zachariah Johnson, Kilkenny, reg 1 Jan 1859, Lic 1836, Fell. 1844 R.Coll Surg. Irel. Lic. Lic. Midwif. 1859 K.Q.Coll. Phys. Irel. Entry in Medical Directory 1879 Johnson Zachariah, Kilkenny- A.M.TCD; LKQCP Irel and L.M 1859; FRCSI 1844; L 1836; L.M. Dublin; Memb Surg Soc of Irel.; Surg. Kilkenny Co Infirm.; formerly HO City of Dublin Hosp, and Med. Att. Dublin Inst. for Dis of Childr. Various contributions to the Medical Press and Dubl Joun Med. Memorial inscription says that he was Physician & Surgeon to the Kilkenny Infirmary for nearly 47 years TREATMENT OF FRACTURE OF THE THIGH BY THE WEIGHT AND PULLEY. TO THE EDITOR OP THE MEDICAL PRESS AND CIRCULAR. Dear Sir,-My attention having been called to the correspondence on this subject, which has lately appeared in the Medical Press and Circular, I beg to refer to the fact, that, in or about the year 1852,1 forwarded to the Surgical Society the particulars of a very remarkable case treated by me on this plan, and, to the best of my recollection, my report appeared in some of the subsequent numbers of the Dublin Medical Press. The case and its results were so instructive that I shall here briefly recapitulate the leading features of it. In or about the date, referred to, a collier received a simple fracture of the femur. Severe diffuse erysipelas, of the character known as'diffuse "phlegmonous erysipelas/' shortly afterwards seized on the entire limb, imperilling the life of the patient. All appliances for the purposes of extension and counter-extension had necessarily to be utterly abandoned, and every effort directed toward saving the life of the patient. By the time that the state of his health and the condition of the limb were such as to permit of the application of any apparatus for the adjustment of the fracture, shortening had (unavoidably) taken place to a great extent, and union of the overlapping fragments had proceeded so far, that in the unhealthy and disorganised condition of the soft parts, any attempt at rectifying the deformity which had occurred was utterly out of the question ; and he left hospital, after a sojourn of some months, with the limb shortened a couple of inches. In the course of many months afterwards, this man fell, and broke the same thigh again. He now came under my care in Kilkenny County Infirmary. He at once most earnestly importuned me, if at all possible, to restore the limb to its original length. I was disposed at first (considering the amount of deformity, and the time which had elapsed) to regard the proposal as chimerical. However, I tried the weight and pulley ; he bore it with great fortitude, and the result was that he left hospital with the limb, to his great delight, restored to its full original length, and free from all deformity. Owing to the confirmed contraction of the powerful muscles, which had adapted themselves to the shortened condition of the femur, a much, heavier weight had to be used than is requisite under ordinary circumstances, and much greater fortitude was required on the part of the patient; the result was most remarkable. It matters little to science or mankind who was the originator of this plan. The question of ' 'priority | seems to me of little moment. The great question at issue would seem to be, is the plan useful and effectual, and that it is so seems established by the fact of its being advocated by so many practical surgeons, most, if not all of whom, were probably " inventors, " so far as originating it for themselves. In this sense, I invented it in 1852, never having seen or heard of the plan before. Dr. David Jacob invented it for himself in 1856 ; Sir Philip Crampton, probably also, in 1846. But Dr. Smith, of Donagh- more, has taken the wind out of all our sails by showing that Dr. Daniell, of Georgia, U. S., recommended it so far back as 1829. In my case I effected two points of extension, one by broad adhesive straps above the knee; the other, by similar means, attached to the calf of the leg and forming a loop below the foot. By this means great relief was afforded, by alternating the point of extension, and especially by relieving the traction on the ligaments of the knee joint. But in this particular case an unusually heavy weight was required to overcome the permanent contraction of the muscles. I was much amused last winter by seeing the same plan of extension which I had used in 1852, and which others, no doubt, have used before and since, lauded in some of the journals as the invention of an American Professor, and dignified with the high-sounding title of "Pancoast's stirrup" If there be any truth in the maxim, " Coelum, non animum, mutant, qui transmarc currunt it seems hard to divine why that should obtain credit as the assumed invention of our transatlantic cousin which met no praise or recognition as the frequent practice of Irish surgeons. But, Dr. Smith has shewn that Professor Pan coast, as well as ourselves, must yield the palm of originality to his countrymen, Dr. Daniell and Dr. Dugas, who respectively advocated the plan in 1829 and 1854, I shall only add, "Palmam qui meruit ferat;" and am, dear Sir, Yours very truly, Zach. Johnson, A.M., T.C.D., F.R.C.S. Ac. Kilkenny : 30th June, 1869,

Was living at Quamby Fendalton Christchurch NZ when she died