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How has science and technology impacted the understanding of surgery and…
How has science and technology impacted the understanding of surgery and anatomy? Part 2
Germ Theory
French chemis Louis Pasteur was emplyoyed in 1857 to find the explanation for the souring of sugar beet used in fermenting indusrial oil
His answer was to blame germs
Pasteur proved here were germs in the air
He showed that sterilised water in a closed flask stayed sterile, while sterilised water in an open flask bred germs
In 1861 Pasteur published his germ theory
In it he argued that microbes in the air caused decay, not the reverse
He also suggested that some germs caused disease
In 1867, Pasteur publsihed evidence proving there was a link between germs and disease
The theory helped inspire Joseph Lister to develop antiseptics
The theory confirmed John Snow's findings about cholera
The theory linked disease to poor living conditions; like contaminated water
This put pressure on the government to pass the 1875 Public Health Act
Anaesthetics
Pain was a problem for sureons since patients could die from the trauma of extreme pain
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) was identified as a possible anaesthetic by British chemist Humphry Davy in 1799
He was ignored by surgeons at the time
In 1842, American doctor Crawford Long discovered the anaesthetic qualities of ether but didn't published his work
The first public demonstration of ether as an anaesthetic was carried out in 1846 by American dental surgeon WIlliam Morton
Ether is an irritant and is also fairly explosive, so using it in this way was risky
James Simpson was a professor of midwifery at Edinburgh university and invented chloroform in 1847
He found it was easier than ether - it took effect more quickly and less was needed to achieve the same result
After Queen Victoria gave birth to her eighth child while using chloroform in 1853, it became widely used in operating theatres and to reduce pain during childbirth
Impact of WW1
Made X-rays more reliable and Mobile
William coolidge had invented a more reliable X-ray tube in 1913
In 1914 the Polish scientist Marie CUrie developed mobile X-ray units
The problem of Blood Loss was overcome as a result of the war
Landsteiner discovered bood groups
This meant that doctors could perform more successful blood transfusions
In 1914 doctors found that sodium citrate stopped blood clotting so it could be stored
War sped up the development of Plastic Surgery
Doctors in France and Germany had been working on skin graft techniques since beore WW1
This paved the way for Harold Gillies who set up a plastic surgery unit for the British Army during the war
Harold Gillies developed the use of pedicle tubes and kept detailed records of his achievements