Chapter 58

The surgery preparation was about to begin.

John, sitting in the last row, couldn't help but stand up. He had arrived late and couldn't get a seat at the front, but seeing everyone else sitting obediently in their seats, he didn't feel right taking a front seat either. He had to squint his eyes and strain to see the operating table and the movements of List and others.

Apart from the patient on the bed, there were five people in total.

List, the chief surgeon, naturally stood in the center. Once the surgery began, he took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. On either side of him stood two people, one holding a tray and the other a white towel.

"One is probably an assistant, and the other is likely a surgical nurse or something similar."

John quickly made an initial judgment about the roles of these two people. A chief surgeon would at least need an assistant, and even if the surgeries of this era were rudimentary, it was impossible to perform them with just a scalpel. So, a surgical nurse was still necessary.

However...

"When did they start wearing surgical gowns, gloves, and masks?"

Watching List and the others, dressed formally and preparing to operate on the patient, John's thoughts began to wander. Although he knew that this was how surgeries were conducted in this era, he still found it somewhat unsettling to see everyone in formal attire standing by the operating table.

"This is too unprofessional!"

John's professional sensitivity as a former surgeon kicked in powerfully.

This surgery wasn't just performed by three people. Soon, two more people joined, but unlike the other three, they held items that caught John's attention: the person on the left held a large, paper-like bag that looked light, while the person on the right held a relatively simple device with a long tube.

"The person on the left is probably holding an anesthetic of this era, right?"

After a moment's thought, John immediately guessed what was in the paper bag.

It was either ether or nitrous oxide.

Nitrous oxide, chemically known as dinitrogen monoxide, is a colorless but sweet-smelling gas. Because it makes people laugh when inhaled, it is also called laughing gas. This gas has some anesthetic properties and has been used by surgeons since the mid-19th century. For a long time, it was used alongside ether as a powerful tool for surgeons. Although it is not very common in modern times, some hospitals still use it. John had never used it himself, but he had seen it during school exchanges at other hospitals.

Over 130 years, human understanding of surgery has undergone a tremendous transformation, but John was surprised to find that some of the most basic elements have persisted!

Chief surgeon, assistant, nurse, anesthetist...

Just like the study of anatomy, new knowledge is discovered every year, but the number of bones in the human body remains constant.

However, John couldn't guess the purpose of the relatively simple device held by the other person.

"What is that thing used for?"

As John furrowed his brow in deep thought, the surgery finally began.

The man with the large paper bag moved first. He leaned over and whispered a few words to the patient lying on the bed, then placed the bag over the patient's mouth and nose. The patient soon fell into a deep sleep.

According to the surgical procedures John was familiar with, after anesthesia, the next step should be disinfection and draping. However, it was clear that this concept did not exist in this era. There was no draping, and the person with the strange device suddenly became busy. After fiddling with it for a moment, a mist of water sprayed from the end of the long tube. List and the two assistants immediately extended their hands and began to vigorously rub them in the mist. It was evident that List was washing his hands very seriously, as if it were a crucial step.

"Ah! It's carbolic acid!"

Seeing List's actions, John suddenly understood. He finally knew what the spray device was for. It was carbolic acid, one of the earliest antiseptics used by surgeons and a key factor in List's fame.

However, seeing List's calm demeanor, John couldn't help but nod in admiration.

Carbolic acid does indeed have antiseptic properties and was widely used by surgeons in the late 19th century. However, it is also highly toxic and can damage the skin. This damage led a few years later to the invention of medical rubber gloves by a surgeon who valued flowers...

After washing their hands with carbolic acid, the surgery officially began.

Standing in the last row, John watched the scene below in a daze. It appeared to be an abdominal surgery, but because of the distance and the surgeons surrounding the patient, John couldn't see clearly what was being done. However, he clearly saw the person spraying a large amount of carbolic acid onto the patient's abdomen.

"Is this the disinfection method of this era..."

At first, he found it somewhat amusing, but John soon sighed inwardly.

Compared to the elaborate preparation steps before each surgery in his previous life, the surgical procedures of this era were extremely rudimentary. However, these seemingly problematic preparations were at the forefront of the entire world's surgical field. Moreover, it was these seemingly simple steps, which many people in modern穿越 novels could attempt, that fundamentally changed the history of surgery in the late 19th and early 20th centuries!

One of the three major challenges of the 19th-century rise of surgery was already being addressed by many people.

In fact, the other major challenge—anaesthesia—also had good methods, especially the use of ether. However, from John's perspective as a穿越者, ether would eventually be phased out due to its dangers, toxicity, and respiratory and circulatory suppression, although this process would be very long. Nitrous oxide, while good, also had limitations and, given the current preparation technology, would likely be quite unstable. However, compared to the intense pain patients had to endure during surgery a few decades ago, patients today were much better off...

Soon, List picked up the scalpel and quickly made an incision in the patient's abdomen.

At this moment, John could no longer contain his curiosity and quietly moved to the right side of the first row, tiptoeing to get a better view of the operating table. Although the distance was still not close and he was blocked from seeing clearly what List was doing, as an experienced surgeon, he could still discern some things from the general movements and the coordination among the people.

However, just a minute later, he was stunned again.

It was hard for modern physicians and patients to imagine the surgical scene of over a hundred years ago. In this era, each patient on the operating table was either in a desperate situation or possessed extraordinary courage. The surgeons of this era also possessed skills and...

Speed!

"Swallow!"

Involuntarily, John's Adam's apple moved heavily.

For a moment, he didn't know how to describe List's surgical speed. In John's previous life, even after many experts had corrected the practice, the speed of surgery was still used as a standard to judge the skill of a surgeon in many places in China, leading to titles like "First Scalpel of a Certain City" or "First Scalpel of a Certain Hospital." However, John was certain that even the fastest surgeons of the future could not compare to the List he was seeing now!

After a long while, John finally found two words to describe everything he saw.

Simple, brutal!

This pioneer of modern surgery seemed to disregard the potential harm his surgical methods might cause to the patient. The entire process was focused on speed, with the scalpel moving swiftly and decisively, causing John, who was trying to observe, to be greatly alarmed and almost unable to suppress a low exclamation.

List and the others on the operating table, of course, couldn't hear John's exclamation. They continued their work, coordinating seamlessly and efficiently, further shocking John. In the end, this surgery from over 130 years ago was completed in just half an hour!

"God!"

After watching List sew the last stitch, John couldn't help but call out to the supreme deity in the hearts of Westerners.

In an era where the McBurney's point had not yet been discovered, surgeons could complete a seemingly complex surgery so quickly, which was truly unbelievable to John!

At the same time, John slowly began to understand some things. For example, List's surgical techniques could be described as rough, with large incisions, excessive bleeding, and significant harm to the patient. In his eyes, the surgery performed by this professor of surgery was utterly flawed. However, considering the instability of anesthesia techniques and the various critical situations that could arise, speeding up the surgery seemed to be a good choice.

And don't forget, this was 130 years ago!

However, now was not the time for reflection. Since the surgery, List had already fully expressed his views and even engaged in a heated debate with some deliberately provocative colleagues. He no longer interacted with the audience and was preparing to leave with the patient. After a brief hesitation, John quickly walked over and respectfully greeted him, "Excuse me, Mr. List, could I have a word with you..."

...

I'm sorry, updates will resume normally from tomorrow.

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends