Thomas Eakins - The Gross Clinic (1875)oil on canvasSomething a little different today: th

Thomas Eakins - The Gross Clinic (1875)

oil on canvas

Something a little different today: this painting carries immense insight into the theater of pre-aseptic surgery. Pictured, a patient undergoes treatment for osteomyelitis of the femur with a conservative approach; the days of total amputation of the limb for the same disease were not far gone. 
In contrast to today’s surgical setting, the theater is open to a great many students, who watch from the stands, and a woman presumed to be a member of family.

The titular doctor Gross and company would not have necessarily washed their hands or instruments before performing the operation, as was common at the time. The painting represents a transitional period for surgery: the patient was anesthetized and not about to lose a leg on account of his disease, but was likely to suffer infection soon afterwards due to a lack of understanding as to the importance of clinical cleanliness.