Medicine + Surgery: Improvements in hospitals/Florence Nightingale

Aseptic environment:

• Robert Koch identified one germ for one disease
  • different germs, therefore led to the idea that all germs should be killed
• surgeons began to introduce a sterile field
  • masks
  • hats
  • gowns
  • stainless steel tools
  • special rooms
  • washable floors and walls
  • all became normal practice in the C20th

Florence Nightingale:

• is important for two main things:
  • improving hospitals
  • establishing nursing as a profession
• Hospitals before Nightingale:
  • places for the poor
    • could not afford to be look after at home
  • three main types
    • Lying in hospitals (maternity)
    • Charity hospitals (eg. St Thomas, St James)
    • Workhouse infirmaries (basis of the NHS)
      • these were places where people went to die
      • beds were shared
      • hygiene was non-existent
      • separate wards for different categories did not exist
• The importance of the Crimea War
  • broke out in 1854
  • involved the British Army
  • geographically north west of the Mediterranean/Black Sea area
  • army suffered huge losses
    • many soldiers dying from lack of medical care
  • Florence Nightingale went out with a group of nurses to help
    • Lady with the Lamp
• Problems
  • shocking state of…