"Operation succesful, patient dead" is a common saying in India.
I found an English use from 1883 - https://archive.org/details/argonaut131883sanf/page/n391/mod... .
> The creosote in toothache drops administered to a New York boy cured the pain, but killed the boy. This recalls the entry in the register at Bellevue Hospital, which reads; "Operation successful. Patient died."
The Argonaut, San Francisco, December 22, 1883.
alt Hacker News
I found an English use from 1883 - https://archive.org/details/argonaut131883sanf/page/n391/mod... .
> The creosote in toothache drops administered to a New York boy cured the pain, but killed the boy. This recalls the entry in the register at Bellevue Hospital, which reads; "Operation successful. Patient died."
The Argonaut, San Francisco, December 22, 1883.