Topic 3: Surgery

• What was the primary pain relief method before the 1840s?

  Alcohol or opium
• Why were the best surgeons considered the quickest before the 1840s?

  Because pain relief options were limited
• What was the state of infection understanding before germ theory?

  Little understanding of infection
• What was the condition of operating theatres before 1848?

  They were dirty
• Why were blood transfusions considered dangerous?

  High risk of complications
• Who experimented with ether in 1846?

  Liston
• What was a drawback of ether used in surgery?

  It irritates the lungs
• Who used ether at St George’s hospital in 1847?

  John Snow
• What did James Simpson experiment with in 1847?

  Chloroform
• What was a challenge with using chloroform?

  Difficult to get the dosage right
• Who invented the chloroform inhaler?

  John Snow
• What significant event did John Snow assist with in 1853?

  Queen Victoria's childbirth
• What did John Snow experiment with in 1856?

  Amylene
• What was the consequence of more complex surgeries before antiseptics?

  Increased infection and higher death rates
• What was the 'black period of surgery' characterized by?

  Gangrene, sepsis, and blood loss
• Why was there resistance to anaesthetics from some Christians?

  They believed pain was part of God's plan
• What happened to Hannah Greener in 1848?

  She died from chloroform overdose
• Who launched a hand washing campaign in 1847?

  Semelweiss
• What was the state of antiseptics in the 1840s and 50s?

  No real antiseptics were available
• What significant event occurred in 1874 regarding anaesthetics?

  First IV General Anaesthetic used
• Who read Pasteur’s germ theory in the 1860s?

  Joseph Lister
• What did Lister use to clean wounds?

  Carbolic acid
• What was the impact of Lister's techniques on patient death rates?

  Death rate fell from 45% to 15%
• How did Lister's techniques revolutionize surgery?

  Made it safe from infection
• What were the challenges in accepting Lister's methods?

  Methods were expensive and time-consuming
• What was discovered by Koch in 1878?

  Bacteria causing septicaemia
• What did Koch develop to kill germs on surgical equipment?

  Steam steriliser
• What significant development occurred between 1887-94?

  Aseptic surgery developed
• What was the first heart operation performed in 1896?

  Repair of a stab wound
• What did Lister experiment with in 1881?

  Catgut soaked in carbolic acid
• What was a limitation of blood transfusions in the early 1900s?

  Donor had to be present
• Who discovered blood groups in 1901?

  Landsteiner
• Who discovered X-Rays in 1895?

  William Rontgen
• What was the significance of X-Rays by 1896?

  Details of broken bones could be seen
• What was a limitation of X-Rays on the battlefield?

  Little use far from the front line
• What did Marie Curie contribute during WW1?

  Mobile X-Ray machines
• What was a limitation of X-Ray machines?

  Glass tubes often overheated
• What anticoagulant was discovered in 1910?

  Sodium citrate
• What was the first non-direct transfusion performed by Albert Hustin?

  In 1914
• What did Oswald Robertson realize during WW1?

  Need to stockpile blood at the front