1129 Past to Present: Translation of a Pre-Napoleonic Surgical Manual and Modern Comparison

INTRODUCTION: « Toutes les connoissances humaines ont eu leur commencement et leur accroissement, elles ne fe font perfectionnÉes que par le tems et les efforts rÉunis de ceux qui les ont cultivÉes. » Translation : “All human knowledge has had its beginning and its growth, it is only perfected by time and the combined efforts of those who cultivated it.” The opening lines of Hugues Ravaton’s 1768 treatise on his experience as the surgeon general of the French army encapsulate the purpose of history: the growth of knowledge can only be aided by understanding and appreciation of that which came before, if only so that one may pursue further growth and perfection of knowledge now. METHODS: First the text was converted into a text document, allowing for use of intra-document dictionary. The text was then translated both using the author’s French knowledge and compared against DeepL translation site when there was uncertainty. Injury patterns reported were compared to the frequency of strikes landed in a modern historical fencing tournament. RESULTS: To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive English translation of this work. It demonstrates neurological injury patterns that are still encountered to this day including sharp injuries to the nerves of the upper and lower extremities and head. The injury patterns reported closely matched the frequency of scoring strikes in historical fencing, confirming the high fidelity of fencing practice and military application of the time. CONCLUSIONS: The work of Hugues Ravaton is a unique volume of surgical experience from the 18th century and includes instances of neurological and non-neurological injuries. The injury patterns observed also give insight into the origin of modern Olympic fencing.