chapter 7- advances in medieval science

• what is ether and what does it do ?

  • a form of anaesthetic
  • causes vomitting
  • highly flammable
  • in 1842 it was used for a ooth extraction and a neck growth removal
• what is nitrous oxide and what does it do ?

  • Humphrey Davy said that it cause hysterical laughter
  • no pain
  • used in 1844 for a tooth extraction
• what is chloroform and what does it do ?

  • a safe & effective anaesthetic
  • discovered in 1847
• what did John Lister do ?

  • used carbolic acid to dissinfect and reduce risk of injury
  • used the carbolic acid approach to fix a young boys fractured leg without infection
  • carbolic acid dried skin and irritated the lungs
  • in 1890 aseptic surgery was introduced aseptic surgery by killing microbes before surgery
• what did Louis Pasteur do ?

  • invented the germ theory
  • germs do not spontaneously generate
  • based on how milk went sour
  • pasteurisation
• what were the problems with anaesthetic ?

  • dose was unknown
  • people still died due to infection
  • religious objections as the pain of childbirth was seen as Gods will
• what did people believe about disease and infection ?

  • that microbes spontaneously generated
  • spontaneous generation was supported by influential doctors
• what were the problems with Pasteur's germ theory ?

  many scientists did not believe such small microbes could hurt a large being like a human
• what did John Tyndall do ?

  argued in favour of Pasteur's germ theory
• why did people support anaesthetic ?

  Queen Victoria used it for childbirth
• what did they believe during he Crimean war ?

  soldiers should feel pain due to it being their duty
• what is a contagionist ?

  belief that infection and disease spreads by contact
• what is an anti-contagionist ?

  belief that infection and disease was caused by the environment