19th and 20th century medicine key knownledge Flashcards
Who created the first vaccine
Edward Jenner
What was the first vaccine for and which disease made you immune from it
Smallpox and cowpox
What was used before vaccines
Inoculation
What was inoculation
Spreading pus from a smallpox scab into a cut in the skin
What were the disadvantages of inoculation
It was risky because it could become deadly
What was the immediate impact of the smallpox vaccine
It was limited as vaccination was voluntary and some doctors opposed it.
What was the long-term impact of the smallpox vaccine
Jenner’s impact was better in the long term. In the 1850s (60 years later) the government made it compulsory and fined parents who refused to have their children vaccinated.
What did Pasteur prove (3)
Pasteur proved that:
- The air contains microbes (germs) which cause decay
- The microbes can be killed by heating them
- That microbes caused infection (his silkworm experiments)
Who had a huge impact on the work of others such as Robert Koch and Joseph Lister.
Louis Pasteur
Who doubted the Germ Theory
Some doctors doubted Germ Theory and believed in spontaneous generation and miasma instead. E.g., Florence Nightingale and Edwin Chadwick
What did Robert Koch prove
That there were different types of microbes (germs) which caused certain diseases such as anthrax.
What was Koch awarded and his name
The Nobel Prize and called the ‘father of bacteriology’
What two vaccinations did Pasteur then make after Jenner’s
Chicken cholera and rabies
What other vaccines were discovered by the early 20th century
Diphtheria and tetanus
Who developed antiseptic surgery an what has he nicknamed/called
Joseph Lister
‘Father of antiseptic surgery’
How much did lister reduce infection rate
From 50% to 15%
Why did other surgeons oppose Lister
They did no like the effect of carbolic acid on their skin and they did not believe in the Germ Theory
What did antiseptic surgery lead to in the long term
Aseptic surgery - the removal of all germs from operating theatres with steam, sterilisation, masks and rubber gloves
What was hospital life like before Florence Nightingale
Nurses didn’t have proper training or qualifications. Conditions in hospitals were dirty.
What war did Florence Nightingale go to and when
The Crimean in 1850
During the Crimean war how much was the death rate reduced due to Nightingale
From 40% to 2%
How did Nightingale improve hospitals
Clean floors and sheets
Washed patients
Encouraged fresh air (miasma)
Designed ‘pavilion style’ hospitals (more windows, larger rooms and separate wards for infectious diseases)
What was Florence’s book called
‘Notes on Nursing’
Who and when discovered what blood groups
In 1901 Karl Landsteiner discovered the blood groups A, B and O
