Surgeons' Hall MuseumsConditions in operating theatres prior to antisepsis were appalling. Most people were admitted in their ordinary clothes and surgeons operated in a suit and frock coat. This coat belonged to Joseph Lister and similar coats would be worn by a surgeon when operating.
Stompy@surgeonshall Why did I zoom in to see if it was clean? 😆 I should probably go to bed and start again tomorrow.
schoolingdiana
Karen Simmons@surgeonshall Very cool! I love old-time long coats like that!☺️👍
Seacoastred@surgeonshall Does this mean that the operating theatres were kept frosty cool ? And if not, how did they avoid heat exhaustion in the summer months? And did the coats get washed between patients or were the sleeves a perpetual bloody mess? So many questions.
@SeacoastRed @surgeonshall Right? This photo is horrifying. Or is it just because mom-auntie-grandma all Registered Nurses?
@SeacoastRed Hello! At the time operating theatres could get incredibly hot, especially when they were packed with an audience watching the procedure. In the Memorials of John Flint South he discusses fainting while watching operations being carried out:
"The heat had probably
something to do with this failing, for the theatre was invariably crammed to excess and
the atmosphere almost stifling.”
Hygiene practices at the time were quite frankly terrifying! Surgeons would typically only wash 1/2
"The heat had probably
something to do with this failing, for the theatre was invariably crammed to excess and
the atmosphere almost stifling.”
Hygiene practices at the time were quite frankly terrifying! Surgeons would typically only wash 1/2
@SeacoastRed their hands after a procedure and not before. It was often a badge of honour amongst surgeons to have blood and stains on it from previous operations. Thankfully the lack of hygiene and the perception of cleanliness were ultimately changed by Lister’s introduction of antiseptic techniques. 2/2
evehiclefan