18th and 19th century Flashcards
what is ‘the enlightment’?
movement in 1700s which promoted idea that people could think for themselves without authority control
what public health problems did Industrial Revolution create?
cities became crowded
what theory did Louis Pasteur put forward?
in 1861- germ theory
germs caused disease
germ theory had no impact initially
how did Robert Koch build on Pasteur’s work?
identified microbes that caused disease
made it easier for others to study bacteria - his method was colouring them with dye
which old idea about cause of disease was still believed until late 19th century?
miasma
great stink in 1858 caused by sewage in River Thames
what did Florence Nightingale do to improve hospitals in 1800s?
- cleaned hospital and improved sanitation
* death rate where she was stationed fell from 40% to 2%
3 main problems faced during surgery
bleeding, pain and infection
bleeding continued to be a problem past 1800s
how did James Simpson discover the anaesthetic chloroform?
1847- experimented with different chemicals and found chloroform was effective anaesthetic
what theory was Lister’s work on antiseptics based on?
he studied infected wounds and linked them to Pasteur’s Germ Theory
what were patent medicines?
‘cure-alls’ claimed they could treat everything
one advantage and disadvantage of Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccination
- person couldn’t spread disease, safer than inoculation
1. couldn’t explain why it worked so couldn’t use it to prevent other diseases
report that encouraged more action on public health
1842, Edwin Chadwick’s Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Class
3 things set out in Public Health Act 1875
city authorities had to provide clean water
dispose of sewage safely
build public toilets
what did John Snow discover in 1854?
cholera was spread by dirty water
why did many people reject Snow’s finding?
he had no scientific proof
government listened to Snow though
they invested in a new sewer system
