What medical advancement during the 1840s significantly changed surgeries?

The introduction of anesthesia during the 1840s had a profound impact on surgeries by allowing patients to undergo operations without the agony of pain. Before anesthesia was used, surgeries were incredibly traumatic experiences, often leading to patients going into shock or even dying from the stress and pain associated with the procedure. The ability to effectively sedate patients transformed surgical practices, enabling physicians to perform longer and more complex operations with improved patient outcomes.

Anesthesia gave surgeons the freedom to focus on the procedure at hand without the constraints of having to work quickly to minimize a patient's suffering. This advancement not only increased the tolerance for surgery but also led to the development of more sophisticated surgical techniques that were previously unimaginable due to the limitations imposed by pain. Although developments like antiseptic techniques came later, revolutionizing infection control in surgical settings, and antibiotics were introduced later in the 20th century, anesthesia was the key 1840s advancement that changed the landscape of surgery forever.