It is often a handful of visionaries that bring about great change. When I was researching my post, “Boil Water!” | Frontier Midwives, I became interested in medical practices used in the 1800 and 1900s. With our healthcare system on shaky ground, it seemed poignant to write about this.
I wondered if, as I observed our scrappy quest for hand sanitizer, people were aware of how the practice of sanitization came about; that it was considered a major medical breakthrough?
If you became seriously ill in the early 1800s, you might have found yourself recouping on a straw mattress, under a fur covering, with vermin a common presence. Clean drinking water and sewage disposal were two of the main threats to the population's health; sadly, this remains an issue in many underdeveloped parts of the world today.
It wasn’t uncommon for people with little to no medical training to throw up a shingle claiming to be a doctor, only later to be called a quack. People had no way to access information to verify credentials, so they assumed that doctors functioned in good faith.
Thankfully by the latter part of the century, people started to get a rudimentary grasp of hygiene and beneficial sanitary measures. Conditions improved with time, but often bed sheets were not changed between patients, or families had to provide blankets, linens and food.
Louis Pasteur, a French chemist and microbiologist, developed his germ theory of disease in the late 1800s.
Joseph Lister, a British surgeon, is considered a pioneer of infection control, the founder of the practice of antiseptic medicine. Listerine was named after him; it was sold initially as a surgical antiseptic and as mouthwash but was even billed as a good floor cleaner. Lister used Pasteur’s principles to develop ways to disinfect wounds.
Joseph ListerA powder called carbolic acid was used , but the use of this skin corroding, dangerous if inhaled product, was discontinued. Surgical gloves and masks were then used to reduce infections from occurring instead of focussing on how to treat them.
Anything that involves a change to our way of life spawns conflict. For a long time, doctors disagreed on how infections were spread. In the late 1800s, surgeons in hospitals operated on several patients in the same frock coat all day, used their mouths to hold instruments during operations and didn't sanitize their hands between patients. Surgical instruments were wiped clean with a towel before the next person’s procedures, or doctors carried their precious instruments around in their pockets.
Boards of health were established to oversee quarantines and sanitary laws, and public health education was promoted. People resisted these rules and compulsory vaccinations.
The concept of a hospital goes back for centuries, although different names were used to describe these facilities. When modern hospitals were initially built, they were subsidized by donations and funding from municipalities, organizations and churches—so available funds for improvements directly correlated to what was going on in the economy. Hospital wards were often a breeding ground for infection and disease. If you survived the surgery, you had a 50-50 chance of making it out of the hospital alive.
Early mortuaries (deadhouses) were often repurposed houses, with deceased individuals stored in the basement awaiting examination. I’m not creeped out; you’re creeped out! The nightwatchman must have had nerves of steel.
When I picture an autopsy room, I imagine glinting stainless steel and bright lights. Autopsies were originally called dissections. Supposedly one of the first recorded dissections occurred when Julius Caesar’s body was examined after his assassination to determine which of the 23 stab wounds he sustained proved fatal. I guess they must have had a pretty good understanding of anatomy in 44 BC. Sorry, that titbit goes way back, but I thought it was interesting. This procedure is uncomfortable to talk about but has provided invaluable information towards medical advancements.
Surgeons and nurses in the forces in the early 1900s also suggested a relationship between the spread of disease and infection and sanitation. They were witness to infection rates at an unimaginable level. Medical staff went from patient to patient in field hospitals, doing the best they could without any sanitization between patients. In such conditions, wound treatment often included amputation. Eventually, nurses led the push for clean bedding and handwashing.
Medical staff did the best they could at the time with the knowledge and equipment they had. When disinfecting tools and wounds became accepted as a valid medical practice, the spread of infection was significantly reduced.
The advent of medications such as sulphur drugs in the 1930s and penicillin in the 1940s, helped immensely with the treatment of bacterial infections.
The history that led this country to the right to free basic health care has been fraught with suffering, but the courage of medical pioneers is inspiring. The surge in Canada’s population brought with it a cry for universal healthcare. During the great depression of the 1930s, 60% of Canadians weren’t making enough to afford healthcare. Wages were so low that even people who had jobs continued to live in poverty.
Saskatchewan was a pioneer in providing healthcare to its citizens, and within ten years, all of Canada received government-funded health care using Saskatchewan’s plan as their model.
Although the spread of infection in hospitals, long-term care homes and in the general population is still a huge issue, I consider inventors of life-saving medications and medical equipment among my heroes.
I try not to be a germaphobe, but when I think of how easily germs can be spread, it is unnerving. If I let myself worry about it too much, it becomes an overwhelming drain on my mental energy. I do my best to protect myself and those around me, but I also carry on with my life.
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