Illustration shows the excision of a cancerous growth or tumour from a woman's breast, an operation which Hanaoka Seishu first carried out in 1804 using general anasthetic

Kamata Keishu, a pupil of the renowned surgeon Hanaoka Seishu (1760 - 1835), published a treatise in 1851 called 'Geka kihai'. In it, he made public the surgical techniques pioneered by his teacher and provided illustrations demonstrating his technique. These illustrations were empirically based on European examples. The use of colour in them functions mainly to distinguish flesh from clothing and to demonstrate the flow of blood. This image shows an operation which Hanaoka Seishu first carried out in 1804 using general anaesthetic.