Anesthetics

• What was the death rate after operations in some London hospitals before the 19th century?

  Over 80 percent
• Why were improvements in anaesthetics and antiseptics necessary?

  Surgery without them was too traumatic
• What new technique helped save many lives during surgeries?

  Blood transfusion techniques
• What was a common method used by surgeons to control pain in 1800?

  Giving patients alcohol to numb pain
• Who discovered nitrous oxide as a natural pain killer?

  Humphrey Davey
• What was nitrous oxide commonly known as?

  'Laughing gas'
• Why was Humphrey Davey's discovery of nitrous oxide initially ignored?

  Surgeons did not believe in its use
• When did James Simpson discover the effectiveness of chloroform?

  1847
• What was one reason for opposition to anaesthetics?

  Concerns about correct dosing of chloroform
• What did religious groups believe about pain in childbirth?

  It was sent by God and should be suffered
• How did Queen Victoria's choice influence the acceptance of anaesthetics?

  It reduced opposition to their use
• What was a significant effect of anaesthetics on surgical procedures?

  Allowed longer and more complex operations
• What was a downside of longer operating times due to anaesthetics?

  Higher death rates from infection risk
• What did anaesthetics enable surgeons to develop in the 19th century?

  More complicated procedures
• How does modern anaesthesia differ from earlier methods?

  Uses a mixture of chemicals for gradual effects
• What is a significant application of modern anaesthetics in surgery?

  Allows brain surgery with consciousness
• Why were anaesthetics significant for eye surgeries?

  Surgeons had more time for complex procedures
• What was an advantage of chloroform over ether?

  Less explosive and inflammable
• How did anaesthetics impact childbirth?

  Women did not have to suffer pain
• What was a key benefit of using chloroform since 1847?

  Patients were no longer conscious during operations
• What risk did patients avoid by being unconscious during operations?

  Risk of dying from shock of pain