On the influence of mechanical and physiological rest in the treatment of accidents and surgical diseases, and the diagnostic value of pain.

Hilton, surgeon to Guy’s Hospital, suggested that symptoms are disordered reflexes. He advocated complete rest in the treatment of surgical disorders of all parts of the body. Second and later editions were entitled On rest and pain. The timeless aspect of Hilton's basic advice that rest frequently eliminates pain, and that much pain will pass if the afflicted part of the body is rested, caused the book to remain in print for more than a century.