A History of Surgery

Your doctor has recommended surgery to fix the carpal tunnel is your left wrist. The

surgery takes about two hours in an anesthetic room with you asleep and feeling no pain the

whole time. When you wake up there is a small one-inch incision in your arm. After one week

your arm feels as good as new. Surgeries have not always been like this. Only a hundred years

ago was when surgeries began to be considered safe. We will discuss when surgery started and

how it has improved over the ages.

The first operations began during the stone age although it cannot really be called

surgery. If someone were suffering from a headache and went to the local witch doctor, they

would have a hole bored in that person's skull to let out the “evil spirits”. They would use

turpentine and vinegar to stave off infection but nothing for pain relief.

Then came the Egyptians who used honey to prevent infection. They had more

knowledge of the body and organs through mummification. They would use saws, forceps, and

scissors during surgery. The next step in surgery occurred in India where they would stitch

noses back on that had been removed in punishment. Then in Greece and Roman times they

used wine to prevent infection. They were also able to set bones and perform amputations.

Also, Roman doctor Galen dissected animals and his findings affected the medical world for

years to come.

Then in medieval times they finally found a mix of herbs that lessened the pain of

surgery, if only slightly. They used cauterization to control infection. The church finally allowed
for dissection of human bodies which lead to further medical advancements. In the seventeen

to eighteen hundred’s they discovered laughing gas which was used in surgery. In the 1800’s

they used chloroform to knock out patients before surgery.

In more recent times surgeons came to realize the value of sterile conditions. They

learned the germ theory and started washing their hands before surgery. These precautions cut

infection rates in half and survival rates started climbing. This shows how far we have come. In

the stone age vinegar to prevent infection and drilling holes. Now, completely sterile rooms, no

pain, and a much greater survival rate.

 Sources
Ericksen, k., 2016. This Won't Hurt A Bit: A Bloody (And Painful) History of Surgery | Rasmussen College. [online]
Rasmussen.edu. Available at: <https://www.rasmussen.Edu/degrees/health-sciences/blog/history-of-surgery/>
[Accessed 25 April 2020]