LISTON, John (1776-1846), comedian, was the son of a watchmaker in Soho, London, where he was born in 1776. While the teacher of a day school near Leicester Square, he began to take part in private theatricals, and soon conceived a passion for the stage. He made his début at a small theatre in the Strand, and shortly afterwards obtained an engagement at Dublin theatre, where, although he adopted tragedy as his role, his natural talent for acting attracted the attention of Stephen Kemble, who engaged him for his theatre at Newcastle-on-Tyne. Discovering accidentally that his forte was not tragedy but comedy, Liston displayed in his personation of old men and country boys a fund of drollery and humour which proved irresistible. An introduction to Charles Kemble led to his appearance at the Haymarket in 1805 as Zekiel Homespun, and from this time he occupied an unrivalled position in his own line of performance, his broad humour being tempered by true artistic finish, while he possessed an original power of creation which, with his boundless faculty in the elaboration of absurdities, filled up meagre and commonplace outlines with the characteristics of vivid individuality. Paul Pry, first represented in 1825, and always his most popular part, soon became to many a real personage. Liston played successively at Covent Garden, Drury Lane, and the Olympic, and remained on the stage till almost the close of his life. He died March 22, 1846....
LISTON, Robert (1794—1847), an eminent Scottish surgeon, was born on the 28th of October 1794, at Eccle-fechan, where his father was parish minister. He commenced the study of anatomy under Dr Barclay in Edinburgh University in 1810, and soon became a skilful anatomist. After eight years’ study, he began his career as a lecturer on anatomy and surgery in the Edinburgh School of Medicine; and in 1827 he was elected one of the surgeons to the Royal Infirmary. In 1835 he was invited to fill the chair of clinical surgery in University College, London. He held the appointment until his death, on the 7th of December 1847. Liston was a teacher more by what he did than by what he said. He taught simplicity in all operative procedures; fertile in expedients, of great nerve, and of powerful frame, his name is remembered at the present day as a bold and rapid operator. He inspired all around with confidence, and every one present at his operations felt that the knife in his hands, however rapidly he worked, was guided with skill founded upon knowledge. He was the author of The Elements of Surgery and Practical Surgery, and made several improvements in methods of amputation, and in the dressing of wounds.
[244 words — estimated reading time: 2 minutes]