156:. Monro had stated that since the healthy cranial cavity is rigid and of constant volume and the brain 'is nearly incompressible, the quantity of blood within the head must remain the same'. Later in the paper Kellie described how Monro, aware of his interest, invited him jointly to examine the brains of executed criminals and sent him descriptions of autopsy findings in other similar cases. He gives Abercrombie particular credit when he writes 'the argument has already been taken up and illustrated by Dr Abercrombie, in his ingenious analysis of apoplexy … '. In 1818 Abercrombie indeed had ‘proposed a doctrine’ clearly setting out the hypothesis. Abercrombie was largely responsible for the doctrine becoming widely known and accepted around the world. His authoritative book
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and surface of the brain were congested and the associated arteries were relatively bloodless while the brain was otherwise normal. In concluding that the individuals died from exposure he quotes a similar case described by Samuel
Quelmalz (1696–1758) where exposure results in a progression through weariness, lassitude, drowsiness, coma and death which he ascribes to disordered cerebral circulation. He concluded 'When the cavity of the cranium is encroached upon by depression of its walls compensation may be made at the expense of circulatory fluid within the head; less blood is admitted and circulated'. Kellie gave credit to two of his Edinburgh contemporaries for their contributions in the shaping of this concept,
38:. The doctrine states that since the skull is incompressible, and the volume inside the skull is fixed then any increase in volume of one of the cranial constituents must be compensated by a decrease in volume of another. Previous research about George Kellie (1720–1779) may have been hampered by a widely cited incorrect year of birth, by the spelling of his name as Kellie or Kelly and by confusion with his father, also a surgeon in Leith, with the same name and subject to similar spelling variations.
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cranium were drained of blood, the brain was not affected in this way, retaining blood volume. He concluded that where the circulating blood volume was depleted, the volume circulating within the cranium remained constant, with the increase in arterial tone and consequent reduction in arterial blood volume being compensated by venous engorgement thus keeping the total blood volume constant. The
English physician
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extensive listing of
British medical and surgical apprentices that listing showed that he trained three apprentices between 1771–75. The Street directories for Edinburgh and Leith for the years 1773–1805 show that ‘George Kelly’ senior practised as a surgeon in Tolbooth Wynd, Leith, the only Kelly or Kellie listed in Leith for that period. In 1774 he published a paper describing a case of extensive
71:, he had successfully treated by inserting of a cannula into the thoracic cavity. George Kelly senior died at Leith on 3 April 1805, the spelling of his name on the death notice reverting to 'Kellie'. George Kellie junior followed his father into a career as a surgeon in Leith after serving a five year apprenticeship to the Edinburgh surgeon James Arrott (1760–1818).
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In the paper which was to give Kellie lasting eponymous fame he describes the post mortem appearances in the bodies of two individuals found dead after lying outside after a storm. He was asked by local magistrates to try to establish the cause of death. Kellie noted that the veins in the meninges
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Kellie G. An account of the appearances observed in the dissection of two of three individuals presumed to have perished in the storm of the 3rd, and whose bodies were discovered in the vicinity of Leith on the morning of the 4th, November 1821 : with some reflections on the pathology of the
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father. In the South Leith parish records of his marriage to
Catherin McCall in August 1764 and the record of the birth of his son, the spelling is given as 'Kelly'. George Kellie senior practised as a surgeon and while there is no record of his registration as a surgical apprentice in Wallis's
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As
Abercrombie had done before him, Kellie went on to test his theories with a series of animal experiments where he studied the cerebral circulation of sheep and of dogs immediately after exsanguination or death induced by cyanide. He found that in many instances while the tissues outwith the
174:(1801–1887) later tested the hypothesis with CSF included in the equation. He repeated Kellie’s experiments using animal exsanguination and concluded that a depletion of CSF volume was compensated by an increase in intracranial blood volume and vice versa, so validating the hypothesis.
178:(1869–1939)and his researcher Lewis Weed (1886–1952) tested the theory in the light of increasing knowledge and Weed found that ' ... in every way Monro-Kellie doctrine must be considered essentially correct'. The development of techniques to measure
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first published in 1828 was a milestone in neuropathology which ran to three
British, two American and French and German editions. In it Abercrombie linked the theories of Monro and Kellie and gave them full credit for the hypothesis
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As Arrott had done before him Kellie joined the Royal Navy in 1790 as a surgeon. During this naval service he published papers in the form of letters to his father ‘Mr Kellie, surgeon, Leith’. A letter to
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Macintyre I. A hotbed of medical innovation: George Kellie (1770–1829), his colleagues at Leith and the Monro–Kellie doctrine J Med Biogr 0967772013479271 16 September 2013 doi:10.1177/0967772013479271
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58:, East Lothian had married in South Leith in August 1769 On his baptismal entry in the parish of Dunbar, East Lothian for 6 October 1742 George senior's surname is spelt Kellie, as is that of
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in East
Lothian, maintaining his family links with that region. He now published a series of papers on a diverse range of medical and surgical topics. In 1805 he was elected a member of the
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with a thesis entitled ‘de
Electricitate animale’, by now obviously able to pay the graduation fee. On 21 November 1805 he married Ann Wight, daughter of Robert Wight of the Murrays near
88:, a 32 gun, fifth rate frigate. In this letter he records experiments on himself, describing the effects of compressing the arm by tourniquet. In August 1796 he was posted to HMS
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Kellie went on to achieve local distinction in his lifetime. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal
Society of Edinburgh in December 1823. In 1827 he was elected President of the
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When Kellie returned to surgical practice in Leith he maintained his military links by becoming
Surgeon to the Royal Leith Volunteers. In 1802 he became a fellow of the
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34:, a concept which relates intracranial pressure to the volume of intracranial contents and is a basic tenet of our understanding of the neuropathology of raised
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Monro A. Observations on the structure and functions of the nervous system: illustrated with tables. Edinburgh: Printed for, and sold by, William Creech 1783
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Kellie G. An account of the effects of compression by the tourniquet in stopping the cold fits of intermittents. Edinburgh Medical Commentaries 1794;9:271-83
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Burrows G. On disorders of the cerebral circulation and on the connection between affections of the brain and diseases of the heart. London: Longman; 1846
186:(ICP) have allowed more sophisticated testing of the doctrine and shown that the hypothesis formulated by Monro, Kellie and Abercrombie still holds good.
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Kellie G., An Account of the Paracentesis Being Performed in the Thorax for the Cure of an Emphysema, Medical and Philosophical commentaries 1774;2:427-3
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50:, the seaport for Edinburgh which was at that time the fifth largest town in Scotland. His parents George Kellie (1742–1805), originally from
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Wallis PJ, Wallis R, Whittet T. Eighteenth century medics: subscriptions, licenses, apprenticeships. Newcastle. University of Newcastle. 1985
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104:’, a reference to the town in the Pas de Calais in northern France where British prisoners of war were held during the Napoleonic War.
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about the anatomy of the shark and the following year writes with more information about tourniquet compression. In a letter to the
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Macintyre I. A hotbed of medical innovation: George Kellie (1770–1829), his colleagues at Leith and the Monro–Kellie doctrine.
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Abercrombie J. Pathological and practical researches on disease of the brain and spinal cord. Edinburgh: J Carfrae; 1828
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Boog Watson CB, ed. Roll of Edinburgh burgesses and guild-brethren, 1761–1841. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society; 1933
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Livingstone J. Observations on the benefits derived from compression by the tourniquet. Annals of Medicine 1801;1:313-5
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202:. George Kellie collapsed and died in Leith on 28 September 1829 while on his way home from visiting a patient.
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120:, a necessary prerequisite to practise as a surgeon-apothecary. On 12 September 1803 he graduated MD from the
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Kellie G. Observations on the medical effects of compression by tourniquet. Annals of Medicine 1797;2:127
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Mokri B. The Monro-Kellie hypothesis: applications in CSF volume depletion. Neurology 2001;56:1746-8
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in 1801 from a Mr Livingstone, Kellie is described as ‘physician to the English prisoners at
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Martine J. Reminiscences of port and town of Leith. Edinburgh: Printed for the author, 1888.
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Kellie G. Some observations on the anatomy of the shark. Annals of Medicine 1796;1:395
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Weed L. Some limitations of the Monro–Kellie hypothesis. Archives of surgery 1929;18
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brain. Transactions of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Edinburgh 1824;1:82–169
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Pathological and Practical Researches on Disease of the Brain and Spinal Cord
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MD, FRSE (1770–1829) was a Scottish surgeon who, together with
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The Edinburgh Magazine and Literary Miscellany 1818;81:500
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dated 21 May 1794 show that he is now surgeon on HMS
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Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
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538:Members of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh
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335:London Gazette 23 August 1803 issue 15614
116:(RCSEd) and was elected a Burgess of the
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90:Leopard
98:Annals
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48:Leith
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