Dates and events

Question 1

1500s

Answer 1

Ambrose Pare starts using silk ligatures and metal clips to tie blood vessels instead of cauterisation.

This is less painful, but can introduce infection into the wounds and have to be tied correctly or else the patient still bleeds

Question 2

1670

Answer 2

Human-animal blood transfusions made illegal due to high mortality rate

They can stop blood loss in this time period; tourniquets, ligatures and cauterisation, but they can’t replace it; which led to deaths from blood loss

Question 3

1799

Answer 3

Nitrous oxide discovered to have anaesthetic properties by Humphrey Davy

This is the first to make you less aware of pain.
But it doesn’t make patients unconscious - limits the impact (mainly used recreationally by upper classes)

Question 4

1845

Answer 4

Horace Wells uses Nitrous Oxide in a public demonstration

Question 5

1846

Anesthetics

Answer 5

Ether discovered by William Morton
It is the first anesthetic to make patients completely unconscious.
However, it irritates the eyes and throat, causes vomiting, smells bad, caused a deep sleep which could last for days and was flammable

1846; Ether used by John Collins Warren (US) and Robert Liston (UK)

Question 6

1847

Answer 6

James Simpson discovers the anesthetic qualities of chloroform.
He wanted a better alternative than ether for use in childbirth

It is great since it doesn’t have any of the side effects of ether but can affect the heart

Question 7

1846

Infection

Answer 7

Semmelweiss; doctor
Notices women on wards ran by midwives were 50% less likely to contract sepsis than those on wards run by medical students.

Medical students often attended births straight after dissecting cadavers, he thought this was linked so put bowls of chlorinated water around the hospitals are instructed med students to wash their hands

The death rate fell but Semmelweiss was fired as he was seen as arrogant, the chlorinated water smelt and it was effort. Also he couldn’t explain why he was doing this

Question 8

1848

Answer 8

Hannah Greener dies during an operation; scares people

Question 9

1849

Answer 9

Lancet publish a letter saying pain is a blessing from God

Question 10

1853

Answer 10

Queen Victoria uses chloroform whilst giving birth helping the public to accept it

The hypodermic needle invented; useful in administering measured dosages of drugs and later in blood transfusions

Question 11

Black period of surgery

Answer 11

1847-1867
With patients unconscious surgeons attempt more complex invasive surgeries, these lead to people mor getting infections and dying

Question 12

1861

Answer 12

Louis Pasteur publishes his germ theory

This says that germs cause infections and can be killed by heat. Not proved until 1864

Question 13

1867

Answer 13

Lister links infection and germs.
Decides to try and use carbolic acid as an antiseptic , testing it on a small boy with a compound fracture; the boys leg heals cleanly and Lister starts using carbolic acid as an antiseptic

He later announces that no-one had died from blood poisoning on his wards for 9 months

Question 14

1878

Answer 14

Steam sterilizer invented by Robert Koch

Helps contribute to an aseptic environment

Question 15

1880s

Answer 15

Operating theaters and hospitals start to be regularly cleaned

First appendix removals

Question 16

1889

Answer 16

Halsted and rubber gloves

Question 17

1901

Answer 17

Karl Landsteiner discovers blood groups

People understand in order for transfusions to occur blood groups need to match

Question 18

1907

Answer 18

First successful blood transfusion using blood typing; Reuben Ottenberg

Question 19

1914

Answer 19

World War One starts.
Soldiers die from blood loss even if there wounds are not fatal since there are’t the blood/donors available.

War acts as a catalyst to solve this issue

Petite Curie, Triage system and medical records brought into use during the war

Question 20

1915

Answer 20

Richard Lewisohn discovers sodium citrate can be used to stop blood clotting

Question 21

1916

Answer 21

Blood stored in refrigerated conditions

Rous and Tuner; citrate glucose

Donors no longer need to be present for donations to go ahead

Question 22

1916

Answer 22

Gilles sets up a plastic surgery unit at Aldershot

Question 23

1917

Answer 23

Battle of Cambrai; fist blood depot.
It carried only type O.
Whenever a big battle was going to take place there would be a call for blood donations from the public

Question 24

1887

Answer 24

From 1887, all instruments were steam-sterilised. Koch

developed the steam steriliser in 1878

Question 25

1853

Answer 25

John Snow develops an inhaler which regulates the dosage and makes it safer

Question 26

1869

Answer 26

Cat gut ligatures introduced by Lister to replace silk ligatures since cat gut absorbs carbolic acid

Question 27

1897

Answer 27

Lister made a baron