Surgery in Medieval Times Flashcards
What are the three main problems with surgery in Medieval times?
- pain
- infection
- blood loss
What was pain?
Surgery was very painful
was there any anaesthetic?
no
what were some types of natural anaesthetics?
- hemlock
- opium
What was the issue with natural anaesthetic?
a high dosage could kill the patient
What was infection not linked to
between dirt and disease
What did doctors mainly believe?
that pus in the wound helps the patient recover
What happens if infected?
death
What was blood loss?
patient often lost lots of blood in surgery
What was there no of?
blood transfusion
What could blood loss become
fatal
What did the surgeon have to go through?
a formal traning for sugerons
Why was bloodletting performed?
if one of the four humors was imbalance
What did removing blood was believed by patents?
believed the patient was healthy again
what are the four common surgical processes?
- bloodletting
- Amputation
- Trepanning
- Cauterization
