​HILTON, JOHN (1804–1878), British surgeon, was born atCastle Hedingham, in Essex, in 1804. He entered Guy’s Hospitalin 1824. He was appointed demonstrator of anatomyin 1828, assistant-surgeon in 1845, surgeon 1849. In 1867he was president of the Royal College of Surgeons, of whichhe became member in 1827 and fellow in 1843, and healso delivered the Hunterian oration in 1867. As Arris andGale professor (1859–1862) he delivered a course of lectureson “Rest and Pain,” which have become classics. He wasalso surgeon-extraordinary to Queen Victoria. Hilton wasthe greatest anatomist of his time, and was nick named “AnatomicalJohn.” It was he who, with Joseph Towne the artist,enriched Guy’s Hospital with its unique collection of models.In his grasp of the structure and functions of the brain and ​spinal cord he was far in advance of his contemporaries. Asan operator he was more cautious than brilliant. This wasdoubtless due partly to his living in the pre-anaesthetics period,and partly to his own consummate anatomical knowledge,as is indicated by the method for opening deep abscesses whichis known by his name. But he could be bold when necessary;he was the first to reduce a case of obturator hernia by abdominalsection, and one of the first to practise lumbar colostomy. Hedied at Clapham on the 14th of September 1878.