The first experiments on local infiltration anesthesia were made by Halsted, who even produced anesthesia by the intradermal injection of water. Through the process of self-experimentation Halsted became addicted to cocaine for the remainder of his life. His addiction was kept a secret from all but his closest associates until after his death.

Halsted set down some of the fundamental rules regarding intestinal anastomosis.

Simultaneously with Bassini, Halsted devised the modern operation for the radical cure of inguinal hernia. This is known as the Halsted I repair. Later his technique differed much from that of Bassini. See also his later paper on the subject in the same journal, 1893, 4, 17-24, which is reprinted in Med. Classics, 1938, 3, 412-40.

Halsted showed that optimum wound healing was most easily obtained by avoiding hematoma formation. Contains description of Halsted’s method of radical mastectomy – one of the greatest contributions ever made to the treatment of mammary cancer. This paper also contains the first mention of the use of rubber gloves (a Halsted invention) in an operating room. This paper and No. 5777 contain the first illustrations published by Max Brödel after he moved to Johns Hopkins Hospital.

First successful ligation of the left subclavian artery. This was the first “successful ligation of the first part of either subclavian artery and the first one of complete extirpation of such an aneurysm” (MacCallum). "Of his numerous publications on vascular surgery, Halsted's most scholarly and interesting." Wangensteen 263. This exhaustive monograph has a series of 8 photographs of the preoperative and postoperative appearance of a 29-year-old black man on whom Halsted operated.

Halsted’s operation invariably excised the pectoralis major muscle in radical mastectomy. His operation, modified by the retention of the pectoral muscles, remains the cornerstone of surgical treatment of carcinoma of the breast. Plate 12 shows the first use of rubber gloves during an operation. See No. 5640. Reprinted in Med. Classics, 1938, 3, 441-509.

Depicts the use of rubber gloves during an operation by Halsted. In a later paper (J. Amer. med. Ass., 1913, 60, 1123-24) he gives some account of this, from which it appears that he was responsible for this innovation. In Johns Hopk. Hosp. Rep., 1891, 2, 308-10, he advised the assistant to use rubber gloves while treating wounds. Halsted originally developed rubber gloves to protect the hands of his operating room nurse, who was allergic to the antisepsis chemicals. That nurse later became Mrs. Halsted. Also published in Ann. Surg., 1894, 20, 497-555. See also No. 5777.

Illustrated by Max Brödel. Digital facsimile from the Hathi Trust at this link.

“Among Halsted’s many outstanding surgical accomplishments those related to surgery of the biliary tract are lesser known. However, he is commonly credited with performing the first successful operation for a primary cancer of the ampulla of Vater” (Rutkow).

Halsted introduced a metal band in place of a ligature for the occlusion of arteries.

In spite of an addiction to cocaine hydrochlorate from experimentation with it as a surgical anesthetic in 1884 until his death, Halsted was among the greatest of all surgical innovators and teachers. While pioneering important new procedures, he developed the modern system of residency training and was the first to use rubber gloves in surgery. Like Lister, Halsted never wrote any books; his collected papers remain his lasting monument. Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.