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Year 10
AQA

Improvements in modern surgery

I can evaluate the impact of warfare and new technologies on modern surgery.

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New
New
Year 10
AQA

Improvements in modern surgery

I can evaluate the impact of warfare and new technologies on modern surgery.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. New knowledge and methods improved the effectiveness of blood transfusions.
  2. Blood loss was no longer a major problem of surgery after 1945.
  3. The Thomas Splint and new methods of plastic surgery helped manage injuries during the World Wars.
  4. Technologies used before and after operations have reduced the impact of surgeries on patients.
  5. Technologies have made modern surgery less invasive.

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

  • Clotting - the process in which blood changes into a solid state to form a thick mass or lump

  • Skin graft - an operation where skin is taken from one part of the body and used to replace damaged skin elsewhere

  • Prosthetic - an artificial body part, such as an arm, that replaces a missing part

Common misconception

Blood transfusions were common before the World Wars.

Blood transfusions were carried out in the 19th century but were not common until after the two World Wars in the 20th century.


To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: Improvements in modern surgery, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Task C can be completed as a debate by splitting a class into two groups: one which is arguing that technology was more important and one arguing warfare was more important. Pupils can then decide which criteria and evidence supports their argument best before debating one another.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word. The term medicine refers to medical practices conducted by trained professionals, based on scientific methods and evidence.

Correct Answer: mainstream

Q2.
Which practice uses X-rays to destroy cancer cells?

accupuncture
homeopathy
Correct answer: radiotherapy

Q3.
In which century did antibiotics first become available?

16th
17th
18th
19th
Correct answer: 20th

Q4.
Which treatment involves the use of needles?

Correct answer: accupuncture
homeopathy
pacemakers

Q5.
Other than pain and infection, what was the other major problem of surgery before 1800?

Correct Answer: blood loss, bleeding, bloodloss

Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following developments into chronological order.

1 - Ambroise Paré uses an ointment containing turpentine to treat wounds
2 - John Hunter experiments with surgical alternatives to amputation
3 - James Simpson discovers that chloroform can be used as anaesthetic
4 - Joseph Lister promotes the use of carbolic acid as an antiseptic
5 - Aseptic surgery becomes increasingly common in hospitals

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word. is the process in which blood changes into a solid state to form a thick mass or lump.

Correct Answer: Clotting

Q2.
Write the missing word. A is an artificial body part, such as an arm, that replaces a missing part.

Correct Answer: prosthetic

Q3.
What was used during WWI to identify where problems were inside patients bodies?

blood transfusions
keyhole surgery
robots
Correct answer: X-rays

Q4.
When were blood groups discovered?

1861
Correct answer: 1901
1941
1981

Q5.
Which statement is correct?

Blood transfusions were common by the end of the 19th century.
Blood transfusions were common by the outbreak of WWI.
Blood transfusions were common by the end of WWI.
Correct answer: Blood transfusions were common by the end of WWII.

Q6.
Identify the accurate benefits of robotic surgery.

cheap
Correct answer: less pain
no bleeding
Correct answer: quicker recoveries

Additional material

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