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Blessed Days of Anaesthesia
How anaesthetics changed the world
Stephanie J. Snow
240 pages
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16 halftone illustrations
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196x129mm
978-0-19-280589-8
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Paperback
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10 September 2009
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- A compelling, and at times grisly, account of a fascinating period in medical history
- Describes the key episodes, the chance discoveries, and the very human dramas, which all led to the introduction of anaesthesia into modern medicine
- Brings together the history of science with the history of a profound social change: as medical, moral, and religious orthodoxies were challenged, and intense debate gripped the public
- The Victorians' encounter with anaesthesia not only led to better pain management and better medical practice, but, as this book reveals, it also resulted in a more compassionate society as a whole
Among all the great discoveries and inventions of the nineteenth century, few offer us a more fascinating insight into Victorian society than the discovery of anaesthesia. Now considered to be one of the greatest inventions for humanity since the printing press, anaesthesia offered pain-free operations, childbirth with reduced suffering, and instant access to the world beyond consciousness. And yet, upon its introduction, Victorian medics, moralists, clergymen, and scientists, were plunged into turmoil.
This vivid and engaging account of the early days of anaesthesia unravels some key moments in medical history: from Humphry Davy's early experiments with nitrous oxide and the dramas that drove the discovery of ether anaesthesia in America, to the outrage provoked by Queen Victoria's use of chloroform during the birth of Prince Leopold. And there are grisly ones too: frequent deaths, and even notorious murders.
Interweaved throughout the story, a fascinating social change is revealed. For anaesthesia caused the Victorians to rethink concepts of pain, sexuality, and the links between mind and body. From this turmoil, a profound change in attitudes began to be realised, as the view that physical suffering could, and should, be prevented permeated through society,
most tellingly at first in prisons and schools where pain was used as a method of social control. In this way, the discovery of anaesthesia left not only a medical and scientific legacy that changed the world, but a compassionate one too.Readership: General readers of popular science, as well as specialists interested in this particular chapter in the history of science and medicine, Victorian history, and cultural history. Medical professionals will also enjoy this lively account of a society coming to terms with a scientific innovation.
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Stephanie J. Snow, Research Associate, Centre for the History of Science, Technology & Medicine, University of Manchester
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"Excellent...an exemplary popular history of anasthesia in nineteenth-century Europe and the USA...a remarkable achievement, one that deserves to become both a classic of popular medical history and a staple of undergraduate reading lists." - Richard Barnett, Social History of Medicine 23:2 "This is...an engaging account of one of the most important medical innovations of the 19th century." - Nancy Durrant, The Times "[An] immensely readable book." - Health and History "Snow also leads into anaesthesia's more profound implications for our understanding of consciousness." - Nancy Durrant, The Times
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1: Introduction
2: Discoveries
3: Anaesthesia in Action
4: Women, Sex and Suffering
5: On Battlefields
6: The Dark Side of Chloroform
7: Changed Understandings of Pain
8: Into the Twentieth Century and Beyond
Endnotes
Further reading
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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