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The chopping surgeon

Johannes Mulder (1769-1810) grew up and studied in Franeker. He finalized his education in Leiden. He returned to Franeker to become Professor of Medicine. On July 21 in 1798, Mulder had to amputate the leg of Gelske Wierts from Dronrijp, a girl of 18 years old. He completely removed the leg, the hip joint included. It was the first time that a patient survived this operation. Gelske enjoyed a miraculously quick recovery. Afterwards, she married and had five children. Mulder wanted to write a scientific article about the operation. But it didn't come to that. After he got an appointment as professor in Groningen, he died at the age of forty-one, due to a failed jaw operation.