Blood and Guts

I don't know about you but I have a dread of hospitals and having to undergo surgery, and recently I was diagnosed as having Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D for short and it sounds friendlier) and was told that if I didn't get it under control, which thankfully I have, it could lead to the amputation of a foot or leg!

On my visits to the local hospital I always had the thought of going through surgery at the back of my mind and I dreaded the Consultant having to tell me the bad news and being admitted there and then!

Why am I sharing this with you? Because I just spotted a TV programme coming up on BBC Four called "Blood and Guts - A History of Surgery." Having read about the programme I am not sure whether I ought to watch it or not, but I probably will out of morbid fascination.

Michael Mosley is our guide through the trial and error procedures of the past that lead to the introduction of modern day surgery and the Blood and Guts that which were the norm in the Victorian era, so if you are interested I should make a note that it starts on Thursday 21st August, check it out in your TV guide for more details.

Whilst on the subject, if Blood and Guts is your sort of thing or you have an interest in medical history here is somewhere you may want to visit.

The Old Operating Theatre & Museum

The Operating Theatre (operating or emergency room) is found in the roof space of an English Baroque Church. At first glance this placement seems bizarre. But it makes more sense when it is realised that the wards of the South Wing of St. Thomas's Hospital were built around St. Thomas's Church. Dorcas was the women's surgical ward. Before 1822, the women were operated on in the ward - this must have caused some considerable distress. In 1815 the Apothecary's Act, which required apprentice apothecaries to attend at public hospitals, meant that hordes of students poured in to watch operations. Placing the Theatre in the Herb Garret of the Church provided a separation from the ward. It gave a separate entrance for students, and afforded a measure of sound proofing. It was also approximately at the same level as the women's surgical ward which aided the transport of patients to the theatre. The Theatre was purpose built to maximise the light from above, with a large skylight. Although not heated or ventilated, it provided an ideal, albeit small, area for demonstrating surgical skills.

Until 1847, surgeons had no recourse to anaesthetics and depended on swift technique (surgeons could perform an amputation in a minute or less), the mental preparation of the patient and alcohol or opiates to dull the patient's senses. Thereafter ether or chloroform started to be used. The Operating Theatre had closed down before antiseptic surgery was invented. The majority of cases were for amputations or superficial complaints as, without antiseptic conditions, it was too dangerous to carry out internal operations.

Hope you enjoyed this Blog, now go out and have some fun rediscovering history.

Steve

www.rediscovering-history.com

www.discovering-england.com