Improvements in Surgical Treatment - Anaesthetics + Antiseptics

Question 1

what were the 3 main problems that made surgery so dangerous

Answer 1

• blood loss
• pain
• infection

Question 2

the 1900s saw important developments in which 2 surgical problems

Answer 2

• management of pain
• reduction of infection

Question 3

before the 1800, what 2 things were used for easing the ain during operations, and where they effective

Answer 3

• alcohol
• opium
  little success

Question 4

what was using in the USA and when

Answer 4

1844 - Laughing gas in dentistry

Question 5

why was laughing gas not that effective

Answer 5

• did not ease all pain
• patient remained concious

Question 6

what was used after laughing gas

Answer 6

Ether

Question 7

when was ether used

Answer 7

1846

Question 8

who was ether and what did her do

Answer 8

Robert Liston
- amputated his leg

Question 9

what were the 2 dangers of ether

Answer 9

• could make patients cough during operations and sick afterwards
• highly flammable - was transported in heavy glass bottles

Question 10

what was used after ether

Answer 10

Chloroform

Question 11

who discovered chloroform to be a good anaesthetic and when

Answer 11

1847 - James Simpson

Question 12

what was the danger of using chloroform

Answer 12

difficult to get the dose right –> easy to overdose and kill patient

Question 13

what made chloroform become more popular in Britian

Answer 13

used by Queen Victoria during childbirth –> spoke favourably

Question 14

what was the positive impact chloroform has on surgeries

Answer 14

• allowed longer, more complex surgeries –> developments possible

Question 15

who’d work did Lister read to theorise the perhaps microbes caused flesh to rot

Answer 15

Pasteur’s Germ Theory

Question 16

what did Lister discover to be a good antiseptic

Answer 16

carbolic acid

Question 17

when did Lister first use carbolic acid in a surgery

Answer 17

1865

Question 18

in what 2 methods did Lister use carbolic acid

Answer 18

-soaks bandages in carbolic acid –> prevent wounds getting infected
- used to clean wounds + equipment and invents a spray to kill germs in the air

Question 19

what is the medical journal in which Lister publishes his work

Answer 19

The Lancet - 11 different cases were carbolic acid successfully used in surgery

Question 20

did the news of Lister’s success spread quicker than the Germ Theory - but what was also the consequence

Answer 20

YES
- but it mean the science behind it was not fully understood
- therefore not all surgeons willing to use carbolic spray –> still did not believe that air was full of germs

Question 21

what was the short term impact of aseptic surgery

Answer 21

• did not change much due to initial resistance from medical professionals
• was only popular for short amount of time

Question 22

what was the long term impact of aseptic surgery

Answer 22

• attitudes changed
• new antiseptic methods were developed and introduced to improve surgery

Question 23

what was the most significant impact of carbolic acid

Answer 23

• the change of attitude in surgeons towards antiseptic and aseptic surgery**
• surgeons finally understood that performing safe surgery was their duty

Question 24

how did methods of surgery change by 1900

Answer 24

• instruments were steam cleaned
• operating theatres were scrubbed spotless
• rubber gloves + surgical gowns introduced
• face masks during operations

Question 25

why was there opposition to surgical change: (give 4)

Answer 25

- some people worried about **long-term side effects** of using anaesthetics - some doctors believed patients more likely to **die** if **unconscious** - **Victorians very religious** --> believed that **God inflicted pain for a reason** --> so **wrong to interfere** with God's plan - took **long time** for doctors and surgeons to **accept the Germ theory** therefore **accept Lister's** discoveries