Perpustakaan Digital ITB

In the past 300 years, the design of operation rooms and their ancillary spaces has responded to changes in surgical needs and practice. At one time, operations were undertaken on hospital wards, in patients’ homes, and in doctors’ consulting rooms. But in the 18th century the demonstration and teaching of surgery became important, so dedicated rooms for surgical operations were built. They were designed as theatres with accommodation for spectators—based on the old anatomy theatres—such as the one established at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, in 1751.1 Prof James Simpson recorded in 18472 an operation attended by “a large collection of professional gentlemen and students”, and in his survey of hospitals and asylums in 1893 Henry Burdett noted3 “in many large hospitals two, and sometimes three, operation rooms are provided, one being arranged in the form of a theatre, and provided with accommodation for a considerable number of students”. In the UK, rooms in which operations are done continue to be called theatres; a few were built with viewing galleries in the 1960s, but the galleries have been superseded by facilities for relaying television images to lecture theatres.