The Transformation of Surgery: 1845-1918
This a key period in medical history. It is when surgery went from a dangerous and unlikely to save the patients life to a professional and scientific activity that actually had a chance of saving the patients life.
- The three key problems surgery faced prior to 1845 were: Blood Loss, Pain and Infection
- Three early ways to attempt to control pain were; Laughing Gas, Ether and Chloroform.
- However there is some argument as to the effectiveness and importance of the use of Chloroform, as pioneered by Edinburgh doctor James Simpson in 1847. Despite the opposition his work had a huge impact.
- Joseph Lister tackled the problems of infection. Basing his work on the ideas of Louis Pasteur . He had a big impact with reducing infection. However there was still some opposition at the time from surgeons.
- The problem of blood loss was tackled much later in the period, specifically during World War I. Richard Lewisohn found that by adding sodium citrate to blood it clotted. It was also discovered that by adding citrate glucose to blood allowed it to be stored longer.
- The First World War also saw further developments in surgery due to the massive casualties and new range of injuries.
- Science also played a crucial role in the development of surgery, in particular new discoveries and technologies.
Selected Further Reading