- Rhinoplasty, ear, throat surgery: urinary, fistula, tumors, etc
- Eye surgery
- Combat wounds
- Surgery relating to female reproduction (C-Sections, abortion)
- Dental surgery, dental bridgework
Known Surgeons - Erasistratus (3rd c BCE, Alexandra): competent surgeon, especially abdominal
- Philoxenus (fl. 75-70 BCE): expert for tumors
- Ammonius (3rd c BCE, Alexandria): Method for crushing bladder stones:
Attitudes towards surgery Evidence for surgery is very fragmentary; most of our evidence comes from
Alexandria where surgery flourished
Surgery: Highlights over time _- Emphasis on speed
- Robert Liston (19th c Surgeon): removed bladder stone in 2 minutes
- William Cheselden (18th c Surgeon): removed bladder stone in 1 minute
- Surgeons of Liston's time: "SPEEDY" leg amputation + 1 testicle + 2 assistant's
fingers
Speed limits the quality of surgery
,Limitations of Surgery 1. Lack of power antiseptics (chemical agents that prevent infection)
2. Sepsis - serious condition in which the body responds improperly to infection
Types of Anesthesia Physical
inhalation/ingestion
Psychological
Physical Anesthesia - knock out method
- compression of jugular veins
- aritifcal bleeding
Pyschological Anesthesia - Hypnotism
- Meditations
Inhalation/ingestion - Advantage: easily adjusted if administered too much
, Poppy - best and longest known, most useful
- crushed and liquid extracted: slit capsule, let juice exude, dry, scrape off, roll
into ball
- small dose=stimulant, large dose = induces sleep
- Diagoras and Erasistrauts: Dangers of opium dosage
Hyoscymus (medicinal plant) - species of wild poppy
- ancient Indian medicine: anesthetic used for c-sections
Hemlock - local anesthetic
- Internal: affects motor and sensory centers
- death of socrates
Garlic and onions - small dose: stimulant, large dose; sedative
- Diodorus Siculus: For slaves building pyram,ids, forbidden to priests of Isis
- for roman soldiers before a fight (gave them strength)
Persian medicine broken down into 3 periods - Indo-European Period (knife - warriors, herbs - sheperds/farmers, mantras -
priests
- Imperial period
- Islamic period