Surgery Flashcards
What was ether
Limitations
It was an anaesthetic used to knock people out
First Used by Robert Lister
Caused vomiting and irritated the lungs
Who was Simpson
A professor who discovered chloroform
What was Heroin
Helped with pain but was addictive
What was Cocaine
Helped with pain but addictive
What was Novocaine
Helped with pain and was a local anaesthetic
What did Semmelweiss do
What did people think
Launched a hand washing crusade
Noticed medical students were going straight from dissections to births
Other people reacted badly and called him mad
What did Lister and Carbolic acid do
Limitations
Used as a solution to infections and dressed wounds with it
Reduced mortality rate
It cracked skin and smelt bad
People didn’t use it right
What did lister help do
Move surgery towards aseptic
What is aseptic surgery
Where no germs are present
What was WW1 and infection like
Hard to prevent on the battle field
Dressing stations weren’t aseptic
What was the black period of surgery
A time where there was no cure for blood loss but chloroform meant that surgeons tried complicated surgeries
High mortality rates
What did lister and catgut do
It was soaked in carbolic acid and put in the wound and would dissolve in the body
Effective for blood loss
What did blood transfusions do
Limitations
They were the very effective solution to blood loss
In 1901, Landsteiner discovered blood types
But blood had to be present and couldn’t be stored
What did X-ray do in WW1
Made portable x - ray machines - Marie curie
Rontgen discovered x-rays
x-ray machines in hospitals in 1896
What did the Thomas Splint do in WW1
Helped soldiers with broken bones
