Guthrie was the leading British military surgeon during the first half of the 19th century. He served in the Napoleonic Wars; his book is one of the most important in the history of the subject.

On July 2, 1815, Guthrie successfully ligated the peroneal artery of a German soldier wounded at the Battle of Waterloo.

Successful amputation at the hip-joint, after the battle of Waterloo, 7 July, 1815.

Guthrie founded the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital, London, in 1816. He was the earliest teacher of the subject in the British Isles. The above includes important work on the artificial pupil.

"Guthrie's experiences during the Peinsular War enabled him to make considerable improvements in practical surgery. These included introducing the practice of ligaturing both ends of a divided artery.... Guthrie made further surgical advances after Waterloo, where he successfully divided the muscles of the calf to tie the main artery" (ODNB 24, 305).

Digital facsimile from the Hathi Trust at this link.

Guthrie was the first to describe non-prostatic obstruction at the neck of the bladder. On p. 252 of the above work is an account of Guthrie’s prostatic catheter for use in trans-urethral prostatectomy.