Could You Survive Victorian Surgery?

'Could You Survive Victorian Surgery?'

In this video, History Hit's Alice Loxton dives deep into London’s grisly past. She goes under the knife and takes a forensic look at the horrors of Victorian medicine. And where better to do so than the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret - one of London’s hidden gems.

The museum is housed in the only remaining part of what was once London’s most important centre of medicine, the old site of St Thomas’ Hospital. The tower of St Thomas’ Church, is one of the only surviving part of the original structure. And at the top of its very windy staircase is the original apothecary and herb garret for Old St Thomas’s Hospital.

In 1822, part of the herb garret was converted into a purpose-built operating theatre. Instead of operations taking place in the women’s ward in front of all the other patients, they would be performed here by leading experts, where medical students could watch and learn.

As Alice discovers, going under the knife for a Victorian amputation was a risky business. There were no anaesthetics and very little understanding of germs or infection. But despite the gruesome nature of these procedures, the female patients who made it onto the operating table here would've considered themselves lucky. Most were poor, and were prepared to put up with the distress of a live audience in order to receive treatment from the best surgeons in London. In fact, the trial and error of these operations led to major breakthroughs in surgical practice, paving the way for the huge advances in medicine in the 20th century.

So if you are someone who is fascinated by the gory, the gruesome and the downright bizarre … this is just what the doctor ordered. Stick around to the end to see if I survive the operating table, and don’t forget to subscribe and hit that notification bell.

And remember, as YouTube subscribers, you can sign up to History Hit TV today with code YOUTUBE and enjoy 50% off your first 3 months!

#historyhit #aliceloxton #victorianera

[fosterfuchs]

One of the best things about living in today's world: The existence and use of anesthesia.

[moirataylor]

The texture on the bottles wasn't just to aid grip but to help prevent accidental poisoning. Grabbing a bottle in a dark or dimly lit room could lead to confusion. Hence if one grabs a textured bottle in the middle of the night without lighting a candle or lamp, the person knows immediately that they are holding a 'poisonous' substance.

[thoughtful_criticiser]

40 years ago we had a little old lady who was having her leg amputated using an epidural. She was conscious for the whole operation. She couldn't see what was happening due to a screen. As the epidural was being installed, there was some work happening outside, hammering and sawing. They stopped for the surgery and we told her it would be quiet. All the flesh had been cut back and the surgeon had just started to cut the bone. All of a sudden she shouted to stop, which he did. I asked her what was wrong. She said to go and tell the workmen to be quiet and stop sawing. It's the only time I saw operating theatre staff lose it. The surgeon dropped his saw and ran out side followed by others . You could hear them laughing and I was stuck trying not to. She stopped the surgeon twice more until someone brought a loud radio in. I've never laughed so much.

[TenorCantusFirmus]

I have a strange fascination with the Victorian Era - It was such an horrible time to live for 99.9% of people of the Age, while at the same time starting to have some of nowadays' techs, it makes for a fascinating historical object of study. But I would never, ever take a Time Machine to get back at those times.

[anthonystevens]

It's a very grim reminder as to how things were back in the day but it's also an important reminder that people learned how to perform operations for the larger community. Very well presented Alice. I would have had nightmares for ages had I been in your position. Many thanks for sharing. Oh and please don't break a leg, you are a brilliant presenter.

[edenrizzo]

Imagine 500 years in the future people going to our hospitals like they are a museum. Saying “only living 70-90 years? Looking at this stuff it’s no wonder why”

[Rtrhumppa]

"Look only display" - Alice rifles through ALL the herbs. 😂

[andrewdowns]

Well done Alice, you got over your amputation quite well, and recovered well enough to give us more of your talks

[joshbrailsford]

Awesome video. I voted for this topic in the poll last week and it didn't disappoint. This is the sort of thing that makes you thankful to be living in the 21st century!

[ryanhobbs]

I see Alice, I watch. She is always very entertaining and educational. Well done.

[waynehiggins]

I saw Alice and a male friend in the wetherspoons at victoria station at the end of October. I was watching some of her mini docs on the coach journey back from Leicester. Great historian and a really engaging way of explaining history.

[kevanhubbard]

Due to Victoria's long life the Victorian Era was pretty long and your chance of survival at the beginning of the era would be significantly worse than at the end.

[mgtf]

Miss Alice Loxton is a gem who brings history to life.
Love your work 👍

[cannae]

Thank God for anesthetic. Easily the most powerful amputation scene is from the movie Glory when the main character listens to a fellow wounded soldier getting his limb amputated without anesthetic. It's truly horrifying--the actor should've gotten an Oscar for that one scene.

[Rtrhumppa]

Nice editing there. ^^ Also, Alice's facial expressions on the table make it even better.

[garysmith]

What a delightful way to teach history. Brilliant! Alice deep breaths are very amusing.

[wellingtonsboots]

Thank you. Really enjoyed this but glad I wasn't a patient back in those days.

[Heather]

This was brilliant to watch! Lol loved Alice and Dr. Janega 😂 and the camera man. Honestly though, I am shocked at what surgery was like, obviously paved the way for todays medicine but the poor people that had to endure surgeries 😢

[sarahgray]

The sawdust! My dads an old school butcher! He used saw dust on the floors and on his block to clean it! It really works so well!

[paulbennett]

I visited the Old Operating Theatre many years ago on my way to St. Thomas' Hospital (to have dental surgery). As I had about two hours before my appointment, I just had to see inside. It seems that I had arrived just as a talk was being delivered and the speaker was most informative (there were a few other curious souls in there as well). He went on to say that there was no ventilation, with the only illumination coming from a skylight and a primitive gas light and no running water or plumbing. The overcrowding would have been unbelievable, with the medical students packed in and standing like vertical sardines; the whole place must have been unpleasantly stuffy. If the surgeon and his assistants became too engrossed in their work, then the impudent students would shout out "Heads, heads!" as they could not see what was happening. I distinctly remember the speaker mentioning the part about the surgeon kicking the box of sand or sawdust under the table in order to catch the rivulets of blood. This was to prevent those involved from slipping and sliding. How humiliating it must have been for the patient/victim who must have been absolutely desperate, terrified and poverty-stricken. Hands and instruments were not washed or sterilised and the surgeon's coat (which he only wore while operating) would have been stiff with pus and blood - not exactly encouraging for the subject lying there. To this day, a surgical operating room is still referred to as an operating theatre as a result of the original design (but without the dozens of gawping students). I hope the above is of interest and thank you Alice for reviving this historical memory for me.