Surgery Flashcards
What were the problems with surgery in 1845?
Pain
Infection
Blood loss
What would patients do before a surgery, before any pain relief was found?
Drink whiskey
- Slightly numb pain
- -> But thinned blood
When did Humphry Davy make his discovery about nitrous oxide?
1799
What did Humphry Davy discover about nitrous oxide?
That it made a patient less aware of their pain
What were the advantages and disadvantages of nitrous oxide as a method for pain relief?
Advantages:
Reduced pain
Disadvantages:
Didn’t knock a patient- Still felt pain
Who made the discovery of nitrous oxide as a pain relief?
Humphry Davy
-English scientist
When did William Morton make his discovery about ether?
1846
Who made the discovery of ether as a method of pain relief?
William Morton
-American dentist
What were the advantages and disadvantages of ether as a method of pain relief?
Advantages:
Better relief than nitrous oxide
Allowed for advancements in surgery
Disadvantages: Didn't knock a person out Highly flammable -issue w/ use of candles etc. Could make patients cough or vomit Couldn't control deep sleep it brought on -could last for days
Who made the discovery of chloroform as a method for pain relief?
James Simpson
-Prof. of Midwifery at Edinburgh
(Tested chemicals by sniffing them w/ assistants)
When did James Simpson make his discovery about the use of chloroform as a method for pain relief?
1847
What were the advantages and disadvantages of chloroform as a method for pain relief?
Advantages: Extremely effective -knocked patients out- unaware of pain Allowed for deeper, more complex surgeries (esp. on abdomen)
Disadvantages:
Affected the heart
Correct dosages hard to figure out
-too little=still feel pain, too much=died
Who developed an inhaler for chloroform?
When?
John Snow
1848
What did the inhaler that John Snow developed for chloroform do?
Helped regulate dosages
-Reduced number of deaths
What were the reasons for opposition to Simpson?
Dosage
Religion
Speed
Hannah Greener
Black Period of Surgery
What was the reason of dosage for opposition to Simpson/chloroform?
Before inhaler- no one knew what dosages to give
Chloroform was untested
No one knew if there would be any long term effects
What was the reason of religion for opposition to Simpson/chloroform?
Believed that pain was given by God
-meant to happen for higher reason
–> went against God’s will
(Pain of childbirth kept control over women?)
What was the reason of speed for opposition to Simpson/chloroform?
Surgeons in early 1800s prided themselves on how quickly they could operate
–> Only way of reducing pain
Anaesthetics= No need for speed
What was the reason of Hannah Greener for opposition to Simpson/chloroform?
1848- Hannah Greener died during an operation to remove her toenail
–> Had been given wrong dosage of chloroform
-First death of chloroform- scared surgeons
When did Hannah Greener die during an operation to remove her toenail?
1848
What was the Black Period of Surgery?
1847-1867
Anaesthetics allowed surgeons to do more complex surgeries
-More experimenting & investagatory work
Carried infection deeper into the body (& more blood loss)
–> Death rate increased
When did the Black Period of Surgery end?
1847-1867
Between discoveries of anaesthetics and antiseptics
