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Davy; Laughing Gas (Nitrous oxide )
In 1799 Humphrey Davy accidently discovered that laughing gas made you less aware of pain -
Wells; Laughing Gas (Nitrous oxide)
In 1844, Horace Wells, an American, used nitrous oxide when pulling teeth
o However, nitrous oxide did not work on 10% of people -
Morton; Ether
First used by William Morton in 1846 to remove a growth from a patient’s neck
o It knocked the patient out, which made operations easier
o But
It could induce a very deep sleep (up to 10 days)
It was difficult to transport and could explode when exposed to a naked flame
It could make patients vomit and cough -
Simpson; Chloroform
o James Simpson was looking for a better alternative to ether
o He experimented with chloroform and knocked him out
o By 1847, he used chloroform in an operation in Edinburgh -
Snow; Chloroform Inhaler
This was improved when John Snow invented a chloroform inhaler that regulated dosage in 1848 -
Hannah Greener; Chlorofom
Hannah Greener died from too much chloroform -
Snow & Queen Victoria; Chloroform
It became more widespread when John Snow used it to help Queen Victoria give birth in 1853
o But
It was difficult to get the dosage correct
• Too little and the patient would still feel pain
• Too much and you could die (it affected the heart) e.g. Hannah Greener -
Pasteur; Germ Theory
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Lister; Carbolic Acid
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Lister; Publicised his methods
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Koch; Steam Sterliser
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Cocaine
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Landsteiner; Blood Groups
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Novocaine
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Rous & Turner; Storing Blood
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Gilles; Plastic Surgery unit