Surgery Flashcards
(8 cards)
What was surgery like in the early 1800’s?
A brutal affair with little chance of success.
What were the three problems of surgery and what order were they solved in?
Pain
Infection
Blood loss
What was the main way in which surgeons tried to overcome the problems of surgery in the early 1800’s?
With speed
What famous surgeon was named ‘the fastest knife in the west end’? and what went wrong in a famous operation?
Robert Listen
He cut off the man’s testicles when operating on his leg, he also cut off his assistants fingers and they both died of infection.
What three anaesthetics were discovered and in what order?
Laughing gas (nitrous oxide)
Ether
Chloroform
When was laughing gas discovered and who by?
1799 and by Sir Humphry Davy
What was laughing gas originally used for?
As a recreational drug by the upper class to make them giggle uncontrollably.
Who first used laughing gas in a public demonstration?
The American dentist Horace Wells but his patient left in agony making people loose confidence in the anaesthetic.
