A 19th century revolution in surgery
I can explain the impact of surgical developments to manage blood loss, pain and infection during the 19th century.
A 19th century revolution in surgery
I can explain the impact of surgical developments to manage blood loss, pain and infection during the 19th century.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Chloroform was discovered as an an effective anaesthetic in the 1840s.
- Infections became more common in surgeries as improved anaesthetics were used.
- Joseph Lister encouraged the use of carbolic acid as an antiseptic to sterilise wounds.
- Lister faced considerable medical opposition.
- Surgeons began to practice aseptic methods by the end of the 19th century.
Keywords
Invasive - in this context, medical treatments which involve cutting into the body
Transfusion - the process of adding an amount of blood to a person’s body
Anaesthetic - a substance that makes you unable to feel pain
Sterilise - to make something free from microbes
Common misconception
Surgery continually improved during the 19th century.
Improvements in anaesthetics led to more invasive surgeries which actually made infection a greater problem in the mid-19th century.
To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: A 19th century revolution in surgery, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: A 19th century revolution in surgery, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who developed a vaccine for rabies in 1885?
Q2.Write the missing word. In the 19th century, quack medicines were often referred to as medicines.
Q3.What were leeches commonly used for in 19th century medicine?
Q4.Which statement is most accurate?
Q5.In which century was Germ Theory developed?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What term means 'to make something free from microbes'?
Q2.Match each of the developments in surgery with the problem which it was supposed to help manage.
blood loss
pain
infections