The Need ot be Whole (cont)
The medical practices discovered by the Greek and Romans enjoyed a rebirth during the Renaissance. With centralized government and universities, there rose a renewed level of education and knowledge.
A German mercenary knight, Gotz von Berlichingen designed and built an iron arm to replace the one he lost as he roamed the country side protecting the peasants. In 1508 he sustained a blow from cannon fire. It was a marvel of workmanship with movable joints and the hand could rotate. Throughout Europe advancements were being made in the use of prosthetic devices. In Asia it was reported a man could remove his hat, open a wallet, and sign his name, a remarkable feat for someone with no upper extremities.
Advances in the medical issued were becoming well known during the 15th Century. The use of tourniquets and semi-sterile techniques made the life expectancy rise dramatically. A French army barber-surgeon, Ambroise Pare, made great strides in the art of amputation in the 1500's. By introducing the use of linen ligatures he saved many lives. Although this idea was not original to Pare, it was first purported by Celsus and Hippocrates. Pare invented many arms and legs with springs and functions. Some of the basic ideas he incorporated in his work are still in use today. The basic concept of walking and using an arm has not changed, only the materials have advanced to a higher level. Knee locks, harnesses and other items have been around for a very long time. Some things never change. The need to be whole is one of them.
Modern Medicine grew in leaps and bounds from the 1600 to 1800's. Great strides in prosthetic and surgical principles were made. Through all the new inventions and techniques, surgeons were able to do a much better job of amputation. Some of the advances were, anesthesia, analeptics, blood clotting agents, the tourniquet, and drugs to fight infection. This helped make the amputation a curative measure, rather than a last ditch effort to just save a life.
Around 1782, an English surgeon, Edward Alanson, came up with the flap method of closure for the amputation. And during the time of Napoleon, the use of ambulances to transport the wounded to the treatment areas was used. Around the mid 1800's the use of ether began to anesthesize patients. A short time later, the discovery of chloroform by James Syme became the drug of choice for use in all types of surgery. One main cause of the failure of amputation or other surgery to save a life was the lack of antiseptic principles. Although several different items were widely used, the rate of infection was high, and so was death. In 1865 studies began and were published in 1867 that told surgeons and nurses how to be more sterile. And believe it or not, it has been just more than a hundred years that doctors began washing their hands before surgery.
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