The Victorian Era Study Six

The world's oldest Tennis Tournament, the Wimbledon Championships, were first played in London in 1877.

The first football league was established in 1888. Cricket, Croquet, Horse-riding and water activities are examples of some of the popular sports in this Era.

During Queen Victoria's reign, medicine moved forward ! In 1846 anaesthetics started to be used. In 1847 chloroform was introduced as an anaestheitic and was favoured by doctors and hospital staff because it is less flammable than ether. Queen Victoria was given chloroform for the birth of Prince Leopold, her eight child. Antiseptics was introduced in 1867 in the form of carbolic acid (phenol). Joseph Lister (who first used antiseptics) instructed the hospital staff (he worked with) to wear gloves and to wash their hands, as well as the instruments and dressings, with a Phenol solution. In 1809, he invented a machine that would spray carbolic acid in the operating theatre during surgery.