In the mid 19th century, radical developments in science and technology helped revolutionize the treatment and understanding of illness and disease. After centuries of medicine remaining almost unchanged since ancient times, the introduction of anesthetics, germ theory, and better training and equipment forever changed our approach to illness and disease.

This book provides an overview of medical history from 1840 until 1900 from a writer's perspective. Topics include the training and techniques of doctors and surgeons, available medicines and pain relief, hospitals, infection, treatments, and diseases. Period nomenclature, tools and other details necessary for writers looking to craft realistic historic scenes or pursue further research are highlighted. Firsthand accounts from medical practitioners and their patients provide a picture of medicine after the introduction of germ theory and anesthesia.