Surgery Flashcards
What did Robert Liston use as anaesthetic in 1846? so BEFORE chloroform?
Ether
What were some side effects of ether?
Could cause vomiting, irritate the lungs, and lead the patient asleep for days. Highly flammable.
What did James Simpson discover in 1847?
Chloroform
What was a major issue with chloroform in surgery?
Black Period: Difficult to get the dose right and led to more infections as more complicated surgery attempted.
What significant surgical advancement did Lister make in 1865?
Developed antiseptic surgery using carbolic acid.
What was the initial reaction to Lister’s developments?
Opposed by doctors and nurses until germ theory was officially approved.
What was discovered in 1895?
X-Rays by Roentgen
What did Landsteiner identify in 1901?
Different blood groups
What was the significance of Landsteiner’s discovery?
Made blood typing possible for safe blood transfusions.
What did Marie Curie win the Nobel Peace Prize for in 1903?
Her work on radiation
Whose use of chloroform made it less controversial?
Queen Victoria
Problems in Surgery
1.Pain - no concrete solution to prevent patient from experiencing pain during operation, caused surgeries to occur kicking and screaming, were often carried out in a rush
2.Blood Loss - tourniquet would be used in order to reduce the flow of blood in an artery before amputation, surgeries would be carried out in a rush
3.Infection - Despite successful surgeries, many patients would die after wards due to infection of a wound during surgery, result of poor understanding infection and hygiene.
What did John Snow invent in 1848?
John Snow invented chloroform inhaler in 1848, allowed accurate dosing of chloroform
