MILESTONES IN MEDICINE: ASEPSIS, ANAESTHESIA AND SURGERY

MILESTONES IN MEDICINE: ASEPSIS, ANAESTHESIA AND SURGERY Surgery in the XVIII century and infections. Revolution in surgery happened when three fundamental problems were overcome: pain through anaesthesia; infection through asepsis and antisepsis and haemorrhaging through blood transfusions. Contribution of the German pharmacist Sertuerner in 1817. Discovery of general anaesthesia. Discovery of local anaesthesia by Karl oller. Louis Pasteur contribution. Antisepsis and Asepsis. The use of “Phenol” by Joseph Lister. Discovery of the existence of different blood groups in 1901 by Karl Landsteiner. Expectations for the XXI century - Surgery in the XVIII century and infections. - Revolution in surgery happened when 3 fundamental problems were overcome: pain through anaesthesia; infection through asepsis and antisepsis and haemorrhaging through blood transfusions. - The fight against pain - The fist half of the XIX Century and the advances in pain control - IN 1817 the German pharmacist Sertuerner isolated morphine from opium obtaining on of the most powerful drugs known used in painkilling - Discovery of general anaesthesia between 1842 and 1848 - General, local and regional Anaesthesia - Use of other gasses in anaesthesia - Gasses used in anaesthesia often caused the death of patients - Discovery of local anaesthesia in 1884 by Karl Koller - Reduction of death rate of women in childbirth in Ignaz Semmelweis hospital in Vienna thanks to the use of a concentrated chlorine solution for hand –washing - Louis Pasteur contribution - Antisepsis and Asepsis - The use of “Phenol” by Joseph Lister contributed to drastically reduce the number of post-operatory infections. - Lister’s antiseptic techniques spread throughout Europe - Discovery of the existence of different blood groups in 1901 by Karl Landsteiner. Importance of this discovery - From then on, anaesthetic, aseptic and antiseptic techniques have permitted surgery’s extraordinary development - The XX century saw the start of kidney, heart, pancreas, lung and liver transplants, etc. - Expectations for the XXI century: “regeneration theraty” using stem cells to re-grow damaged tissues. “Tele-surgery” will allow surgeons operate on pations who might be thousands of kilometres away.