Ammonius Lithotomos

Who is Ammonius Lithotomos?

Ammonius Lithotomos, of Alexandria, was a Greek lithotomist. Reported by Celsus he invented the tools to break up "bladder stones".

Lithoclastic cystotomy is attributed to Ammonius Lithotomos, from which arose the term lithotomy, now having the arbitrary signification of cutting for the stone. Celsus gave the first description of lithotomy as performed before and during his time, and the operation has ever since borne his name—the Celsian method.

From Paulus Aegineta: "To stop bleeding, Oribasius directs, in the first place, cooling and astringent applications to be used, and if these do not succeed, caustics, such as misy, chalcitis, copperas, or the actual cautery. Upon the whole, his account of hemorrhage is nearly the same as our author's, only he says nothing of the ligature. Aetius treats of this subject in the same terms as Galen, recommending the ligature under the circumstances mentioned by him. Some of his styptics are powerful escharotics and astringents, such as copperas, chalcitis, alum, galls, quicklime, rosin, and frankincense. He informs us that Ammonius, the famous Alexandrian lithomist, used a composition of arsenic, sandaracb, chalcitis, and quicklime."