200 Years of Surgery China Plus

Who are we? What really controls our bodies? These are the first questions people ask themselves before they start to explore and examine their bodies and the world. For thousands of years, in the mists of ignorance and darkness, medical pioneers went on a quest for answers.

During the long period of ancient medicine, determining the anatomy of the human body was never achieved. It was not until the 14th century that things changed significantly. As the earliest means to discern the secrets of the human body, anthropotomy paved the way for modern medicine. In fact, everything that surgeons are familiar with today began with this.

Today surgeons are able to operate on any part of the human body. Although surgeons have superb skills and access to state-of-the-art medical equipment, they still rely most on hemostasis, anesthesia, and strict disinfection, the three cornerstones of surgery regarded as the safety basics. It was the achievement of these conditions that ushered in a new era of surgery.

Surgery was once commonly associated with images of people being cut open in agony, and their bloodied corpses discarded. The history of surgery is about the compassion of medical pioneers pressing on through endless trials. Today, due to the effectiveness of hemostasis, anesthesia, and disinfection, the lancet has become a lifesaving instrument.

Today countless patients enjoy the benefits of modern medical technology. But over 100 years ago, it is basic technology such as hemostasis, anesthesia, and disinfection that finally enabled the lancet to be used in body cavities. But even with that, human beings still had a long way to go before they could perform safe and effective surgeries that we know today.

Surgery developed not only because of the development of surgical technology, it developed as a result of the development of all sciences. At the beginning of the 20th century, the efforts of many previous medical practitioners laid a more solid foundation for the field. Breakthroughs in medical imaging and blood transfusions eventually enabled the lancet to enter the human body and treat diseases safely and effectively.