Advances in Surgical Techniques
Overview
Surgeons of the twentieth century inherited many ideas and techniques from earlier physicians, which they continued to investigate and improve. Three age-old problems that plagued surgeons—pain, infection, and shock—were beginning to be conquered. Surgeons also ventured into areas of the body, like the heart, that had previously been off-limits and developed unique approaches for their particular specialty.
During the first half of the twentieth century, many doctors played critical roles in developing surgical techniques. At the beginning of the century, Alexis Carrel (1873-1944), practicing on paper with fine needles and silk thread, introduced a method for linking blood vessels. Harvey Cushing (1869-1939) was a pioneer in neurosurgery. Ernst Sauerbruch (1875-1951) and Louis Rehn (1849-1930) first worked with the chest and esophageal surgery, with Rehn performing the first pericardectomy. Evarts Graham (1883-1957) and Jacob Singer (1885-1954) specialized in lung surgery.
Many unnamed surgeons worked to perfect anesthesia, asepsis against infection, pain management, as well as sophisticated blood transfusions. By mid-century, medicine was at a high peak with hope for many additional breakthroughs.
Background
Though surgeons have become highly respected members of the medical community, many doctors were involved in conquering the great enemy of invasive surgery—infection.
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