anaesthetics - humprhy davy and james simpson

Question 1

what did humphry davy do?

Answer 1

proposed idea of using nitrous oxide as an anaesthetic
this was ignored by surgeons

Question 2

what did james simpson do?

Answer 2

proposed idea of using chloroform for childbirth
queen victoria gave birth to her child using chloroform

Question 3

why did longer operating times lead to more death?

Answer 3

unconscious patients were easier to work on therefore surgeons spent more time on them
longer operating times led to higher death rates as surgeons didn’t know poor hygeine spread disease