As the Victorian era began in 1837, the world of medicine was still in a relatively dangerous state; hospitals were as likely to speed up your ailment as cure you, surgery was done without reliable drugs to numb the pain (let alone stop infection) and even everyday medicines were full of toxic and addictive ingredients. But by 1901 everything had changed.
In the latest issue of All About History, Dr. Agnes Arnold-Forster offers her insight into how the world of Victorian surgery, healthcare and drugs was able to evolve from the 'butchering art' of early medicine into something closer to the modern science we're familiar with today.
