11/19/2025
Dr. Robert Liston was one of the most innovative—and fastest—surgeons of 19th-century London, decades ahead of standard hygiene practices and the first in Europe to use general anesthesia.
His skill earned him a remarkably low mortality rate for the era… yet one extraordinary mistake left him known for the only 300% mortality surgery ever recorded.
Explore this fascinating piece of medical history on FibonacciMD: Dr. Robert Liston and the 300% Mortality Surgery
Dr. Robert Liston—London’s famed “speed surgeon”—is remembered not for his low mortality rate, but for one 30-second amputation that caused three deaths.