Coursework.Info - Inspiration in an Instant

On the left is an image preview of every page of this document, and below are the first 150 words with formatting removed:

History Homework: Surgery a) Trepanation was one of the earliest forms of surgery and was common practice in prehistoric times. It involved drilling a small hole in the head to release evil spirits trapped inside the body that were supposedly causing the patient ill health. Although skulls that have survived from the prehistoric age show signs that some people survived after trepanation, many people would have died after having this operation from infection or even the pain of it. In the Middle Ages and throughout the Renaissance cauterisation was used. This was when a hot iron was used to seal the wound left after amputation. Amputations were carried out using saws, which would have caused the patient great pain. Also the medical instruments used at this time were not cleaned properly so the chance of infection and the spread of disease was high. Effective anaesthetics were not in wide use by...

To see the full version of this document, and 144,846 others