Surgery (1750-1900)

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  • Created by: lucyaa
  • Created on: 27-04-17 16:54
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  • Surgery  (1750-1900)
    • Problems
      • surgery in the 1800s was dangerous
        • Pain
          • were awake so could lead to clinical shock- death
          • patient would move
        • Infection
          • didn't know about microbes so didn't wash hands
          • surgeons would wear same aprons for surgery
          • equipment wasn't sterilised + bandages re-used
        • Bleeding
          • would die in surgery such as amputations
    • Pain
      • solutions
        • Ether- J.R. Liston
          • It irritated the lungs + produced a flammable vapour
        • Nitrous oxide- Sir Humphry Davy
          • 1799- wasn't widely used as his findings were published in an unknown book
        • Chloroform- James Simpson (1857)
          • led to unexplained deaths
        • get them drunk, knock them out, opium
      • opposition
        • doctors thought pain was good for healing
        • didn't know dosage or long term affects
        • didn't understand how they worked
        • led to more complex operations - more problems
      • anaesthetics were accepted when Queen Victoria used chloroform for birth of 8th child
    • Infection
      • solutions
        • Joseph Lister
          • noticed carbolic spray was used on sewage which smelled like gangrene. read Pasteur's notes.
            • if spray wound, it left a thin acid layer which stopped infection (then bandaged)
            • without it 46% died, with only 15% died
          • opposition
            • slowed down surgery, smelt bad + was less enjoyable
            • doctors were defensive that they weren't causing death
            • didn't show off ideas- seen as cold and arrogant
            • was regarded as a fanatic- people didn't listen
        • Semmelweiss
          • realised women who had babies delivered by midwives survived more than medical students
            • students didn't wash hands after dissecting
              • encouraged doctors to wash their hands
          • was regarded as a fanatic- people didn't listen
        • by late 1890's Lister's antiseptic methods led to aseptic surgery
          • operating theatres were cleaned thoroughly
          • all surgical equipment was sterilised
          • sterilised rubber gloves 1st used + washed hands
    • Bleeding
      • Harvey discovered circulation of blood
      • transfusions were attempted but they went wrong
        • blood groups weren't discovered
        • couldn't prevent blood from clotting
        • infection

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