ABSTRACT
Urinary tract stone formation is extremely common. About 2% of the population in the UK have – whether they know it or not – a stone (calculus) at any given time. A higher prevalence of stone disease has been recorded elsewhere in the world, notably in hot countries. In the developed world, most stones occur in the kidney and upper urinary tract, whereas in some developing countries bladder stones are common. In the 18th and 19th centuries, bladder stones were also common in the UK, but for reasons which are unclear, their incidence has since declined. In the days before effective anaesthesia, surgical removal of bladder stones was a nightmare experience for patients. Surgeons who were both skilled and fast were prized accordingly. Such surgery was not a job for the inexperienced, occasional operator. It is no coincidence that the Hippocratic oath includes the promise not to ‘cut for the stone’.
