Glossary of Tools & Treatments of Victorian Medicine
*scroll over photo/image to see the name of tool*
Glossary of Treatments with associated Tools:
1. Amputation- most commonly performed surgery in this period of time- anesthesia would either be applied on a rag with chloroform to the patient’s mouth and nose or gave the patient a tad of alcohol to help deaden the pain- the surgeon would then proceed to use a tourniquet on the limb being amputated. A scalpel would be used to cut through the first skin and outer tissue and then a saw (Tool A) would be used to get through the bone. Amputation was often fatal because there was no sterilization or cleanliness.
2. Bleeding/Phlebotomy/Bloodletting- the process that released “bad blood”-typically the initial treatment on a patient- patients were cut with a lancet (Tool B) or had leeches (Tool C) encouraged by blood or milk dripped over a vein to bite and suck the blood- doctors usually let patients bleed until they fainted so they felt it was enough
3. Blistering- process by blistering the skin with hot pokers, acid, or plasters (Tool D) that could burn out an illness- was widely used although proven that the effectiveness was minimal- victorians believed that the body could only hold one illness at a time so by blistering the body it could release the disease
4. Plastering- typically used to relieve colds or internal pain- a paste-like substance (Tool D & E) was made from a wide variety of ingredients (break, milk, herbs, cow manure) and then was applied to the skin of the patients- often the back or chest
5. Purging- a form of treatment when a patient is given heavy doses of laxatives or emetics (Tool E) to get “poisons” out of the body- it was believed that diarrhea was relaxing the interior of the body while puking was believed to relieve tension on the arteries- given opium in case of Tuberculosis
6. Cupping- Treatment used to draw blood to the surface of a patient’s skin- a pinch of lint was ignited and placed into the cup (Tool F), at that point the cup was placed on the patient’s skin and now a vacuum was created by the burning lint’s consumption of oxygen- when it finally cooled and the air inside contracted a partial vacuum was produced causing the skin to be sucked into the vessel creating a round area of inflammation- people believed this to be therapeutic
7. Trepanation- process by removing a piece of bone from the skull by scraping, cutting, chiseling and grooving (Tool G). This process was used to treat headaches, fractures and mental disorders
8. Tooth Extraction- there were no forms to treat infection of a tooth so typically the only option was tooth extraction- it was a difficult and painful process because it was of high importance for the dentist to not break the tooth or allow any root of it to remain in the gum- dentists would put pressure to the tooth to try and force the tooth against on side of the socket causing gums around the too the compress and after repetition it would loosen the tooth (Top Tool in Image H) and then would attach a claw around the tooth for extraction (Bottom Tool in Image H)
Glossary of Treatments with associated Tools:
1. Amputation- most commonly performed surgery in this period of time- anesthesia would either be applied on a rag with chloroform to the patient’s mouth and nose or gave the patient a tad of alcohol to help deaden the pain- the surgeon would then proceed to use a tourniquet on the limb being amputated. A scalpel would be used to cut through the first skin and outer tissue and then a saw (Tool A) would be used to get through the bone. Amputation was often fatal because there was no sterilization or cleanliness.
2. Bleeding/Phlebotomy/Bloodletting- the process that released “bad blood”-typically the initial treatment on a patient- patients were cut with a lancet (Tool B) or had leeches (Tool C) encouraged by blood or milk dripped over a vein to bite and suck the blood- doctors usually let patients bleed until they fainted so they felt it was enough
3. Blistering- process by blistering the skin with hot pokers, acid, or plasters (Tool D) that could burn out an illness- was widely used although proven that the effectiveness was minimal- victorians believed that the body could only hold one illness at a time so by blistering the body it could release the disease
4. Plastering- typically used to relieve colds or internal pain- a paste-like substance (Tool D & E) was made from a wide variety of ingredients (break, milk, herbs, cow manure) and then was applied to the skin of the patients- often the back or chest
5. Purging- a form of treatment when a patient is given heavy doses of laxatives or emetics (Tool E) to get “poisons” out of the body- it was believed that diarrhea was relaxing the interior of the body while puking was believed to relieve tension on the arteries- given opium in case of Tuberculosis
6. Cupping- Treatment used to draw blood to the surface of a patient’s skin- a pinch of lint was ignited and placed into the cup (Tool F), at that point the cup was placed on the patient’s skin and now a vacuum was created by the burning lint’s consumption of oxygen- when it finally cooled and the air inside contracted a partial vacuum was produced causing the skin to be sucked into the vessel creating a round area of inflammation- people believed this to be therapeutic
7. Trepanation- process by removing a piece of bone from the skull by scraping, cutting, chiseling and grooving (Tool G). This process was used to treat headaches, fractures and mental disorders
8. Tooth Extraction- there were no forms to treat infection of a tooth so typically the only option was tooth extraction- it was a difficult and painful process because it was of high importance for the dentist to not break the tooth or allow any root of it to remain in the gum- dentists would put pressure to the tooth to try and force the tooth against on side of the socket causing gums around the too the compress and after repetition it would loosen the tooth (Top Tool in Image H) and then would attach a claw around the tooth for extraction (Bottom Tool in Image H)