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A General System of Surgery

1743

Surgery

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  • Intro

    Due to the growing use of dissection as part of medical training, most doctors in the 1700s had a practical knowledge of the human body. Diagnosing and successfully treating disease, however, was often hit and miss. The connection between uncleanliness and the spread of diseases was not properly understood, and many people continued to die simply as a result of poor hygiene. Many women died in childbirth because of infection. Even having your teeth pulled out could be fatal. 

     

    This image is from a handbook for surgeons. Major surgery was particularly dangerous. Dirty surgical instruments caused wounds to be infected, and this caused the death of many patients. Flea and rat infestations were also common, even in wealthy households, and many diseases were spread this way in crowded urban environments.

     

    Shelfmark: 549m19

  • Image

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