Surgery 1799 - 1918: Why

Question 1

What are the three main reasons surgery progressed between 1799 to 1918?

Answer 1

• The first world war
• Science and technology
• Communications

Question 2

Why did WWI speed up the development of surgery?

Answer 2

New weapons injured people in new ways:

• Brain surgery was tried and developed here
• Plastic surgery was another new way of treating injuries
• Deep shrapnel wounds led to the development of saline as a disinfectant

There were lots of injured patients to treat in awful temporary operating theatres:

• Surgeon were forced to improvise, leading to developments
• Surgeons gained lots of experience
• Surgeons had broader training

Question 3

How did communications impact surgery?

Answer 3

• Careful notes and record keeping proved that things worked. Lister did this a lot.
• The sharing of ideas e.g the Lancet in the nineteenth century encouraged discussion.
• Medical conferences began. Lister presented his work to Pasteur and 2500 other scientists in Paris, 1892.
• Newspapers spread information regarding noteworthy operations e.g Queen Victoria’s chloroform childbirth and King Edward VII’s appendix being removed.

Question 4

How did science and technology influence the growth of surgery?

Answer 4

• Development in anaesthetics, antiseptics and storage of blood was greatly sped up by chemistry
• The science of bacteriology gave way to understanding of disease which helped fight it.
• X-rays being developed in 1895 allowed surgeons to have a preview into patients’ bodies
• Technology was responsible for the donkey engine
• Hypodermic needles in 1853 helped to measure dosages of administered drugs and they later helped in blood transfusions