Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBefore the 19th Century19th Century21st Century
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Before the 19th Century
19th Century
21st Century
Even so, what was learned from centuries of trial and error, research, and experimentation led to procedures that are not only commonplace today but highly effective and safe.
These advances continue asrobotic surgery,laser surgery, and microsurgery allow surgeons to treat conditions once thought untreatable. These advances have helped ensure that recovery times are shorter, hospitalization stays are fewer, outcomes are improved, and complications are minimized.
This article provides a timeline of notable surgeries and medical advances from the Stone Age through the early 2020s.
Reza Estakhrian / Getty Images
The concept of surgery was explored well before recorded history, with early surgeons grasping the basic concepts of human anatomy andorgan systems. Among some of the notable findings:
It wasn’t until the 1900s that the likelihood of surviving surgery was greater than the likelihood of dying during or as a result of surgery.
20th Century
During the 20th century, major advances in surgery not only made surgery safer and more effective but enabled the treatment of a wider range of medical conditions, including thetransplantation of organs. Among some of the key moments:
Today, surgeons have more than 2,500 different surgical techniques in their arsenal. The focus moving forward is placed more on refining those techniques to ensure better short- and long-term outcomes.
The words that arguably best describe surgery in the 21st century are “smaller” and “safer.” Every year, innovations are introduced that allow surgeries that once required lengthy hospital stays to be done on an outpatient basis. Among some of the landmarks of the 21st century thus far:
Is Head Transplantation the Next Medical Frontier?
Summary
The first surgeries were performed thousands of years ago, before anesthesia was invented and before infection prevention measures were understood. Since then, extraordinary strides have been made in how surgery is performed and what types of surgeries are now possible (such as heart transplants). Newer surgical techniques have resulted in better outcomes, faster recoveries, less pain, and longer life expectancies for patients.
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