Britain: Health and the People, A revolution in medicine Flashcards
When was Robert Koch born and when did he die?
Born 1843 and died 1910
What was Robert Koch’s career?
Born in Germany, studied to be doctor, student under Professor Frederick Henle, worked as surgeon in Franco-Prussian War, was German Medical Officer from 1872 - 1880, appointed to Imperial German Health Bureau in Berlin, awarded Nobel Prize in 1905
When did Robert Koch first become famous and for what?
1876 for identifying anthrax microbe
For what diseases did Koch identify the germs responsible?
Cholera and tuberculosis
What were Koch’s main contributions to medicine and science in his life?
Founder of modern bacteriology; developed technique of growing microbes on solidified agar plate; found ways to stain specific microbes under microscope with dyes; developed ways of photographing microbes
Scientists identified the specific germs responsible for which diseases after Koch?
Typhoid, pneumonia, meningitis, plague and tetanus
When was a paper published describing the life cycle of microbes and by who?
William Dallinger and John Drysdale in 1874
When were a number of British germ studies published using microscope evidence and answering questions about germs?
1873 - 1875
When did John Tyndall lecture British doctors on Koch’s discoveries about Anthrax?
1876
Which two British doctors’ contributions ultimately won over opinion about Germ Theory in Britain?
Manchester doctor William Roberts, Joseph Lister’s deputy surgeon William Cheyne
What did William Roberts do?
Supported Tyndall’s criticisms of spontaneous generation, developed doctor’s version of Germ Theory of disease, linked all laboratory research with practical evidence, used work of Koch to draw attention to germs’ role in human infections
What did William Cheyne do?
Translated Koch’s work into English in 1879, wrote paper based on Koch’s findings, explained some microbes present in healthy tissue harmless and didn’t always produce disease
When was Germ Theory accepted in Britain?
By the 1880s
When did Robert Koch win the Nobel Prize?
1905
When did Louis Pasteur win the Copley Medal?
1874
What did Louis Pasteur do from 1871 - 1875?
Continued to investigate agricultural problems, studied fermentation of beer, defended his ideas about Germ Theory
Which two animal diseases did Pasteur and his team develop vaccines for from 1876 - 1881?
Cholera and anthrax
When did Robert Koch identify the tuberculosis germ?
1882
When did Koch’s team of scientists identify the cholera germ?
1883
When and how was a vaccine for chicken cholera developed?
In 1879, when Charles Chamberland accidentally used old and weakened sample of diseases microbes, chickens survived weakened and strong germ injections
When did Pasteur demonstrate his vaccine against the deadly animal disease anthrax in front of audience of politicians, farmers and journalists in France?
May 1881
How was news of Pasteur’s and Koch’s discoveries spread?
Pasteur’s development of animal disease Anthrax vaccine spread by electric telegraph, Koch’s discoveries spread by scientific articles and conferences
How was the French serum for diphtheria introduced to Britain, and after which date was it widely used?
Joseph Lister introduced French serum for diphtheria to Britain, widely used after 1895
How did the French serum for diphtheria affect the mortality rate in England, and after when was it widely used?
Serum used widely after 1895, mortality rate in England dropped to less than half
When and how was a vaccine developed for rabies?
1880 - 1884; Pasteur working with Charles Chamberland and Pierre Roux developed vaccine based on dried spinal cords of infected rabbits
When and how did Pasteur prove that vaccines worked on human, as well as animal, diseases?
1885, Pasteur gave boy bitten by rabid dog rabies vaccine
What happened from 1888 - 1890, and in 1890, regarding rabies?
1888 - 1890: In France, Pierre Roux showed diphtheria germ produced a toxin; Emil Behring in Germany, one of Koch’s students, showed weakened diphtheria germs could be used to produce antitoxin
When and how was the first chemical cure for a disease developed, and how does this relate to the term “magic bullet”?
In 1909, Paul Ehrlich, German doctor who had been part of Koch’s team, found the chemical Salvarsan 606 cured syphilis, described it as “magic bullet” as it targeted harmful germ specifically without harming rest of body
How many people did cholera kill in 1831?
Around 50,000
When did further outbreaks of cholera occur after 1831?
1837, 1838
When was Edwin Chadwick born and when did he die?
Born 1800, died 1890
When did the government establish an inquiry to research living conditions, who was in charge, and when was the report published?
Government set up inquiry in 1839, headed by official Edwin Chadwick, report published in 1842
How many free copies of Chadwick’s report were handed out, how many were sold and to who?
Over 10,000 free copies handed out to politicians, journalists, writers, anyone who could change public opinion and 20,000 more sold to public
What did Chadwick’s report show?
Report showed need for cleaner streets and cleaner water supply, showed poor not to blame for bad living conditions, little they could do about it
When was the First Public Health Act passed and what did it do?
Passed in 1848, created Central Board of Health in London, group could force areas to establish Local Board of Health which have power to appoint specialist Medical Officer, provide sewers, inspect lodging houses and check food quality
How many towns had established their own Boards of Health by 1853 and when was the Central Board of Health closed down?
By 1853, only 103 towns set up own Boards of Health, and Central Board of Health closed down in 1854
How many people died in the 1848 and 1854 outbreaks of cholera?
60,000 people died of cholera in 1848, 20,000 died of it in 1854
When was cholera discovered to be a water-borne disease and by who?
Doctor John Snow proved link between cholera and water supply during 1854 epidemic
When was John Snow born and when did he die?
Born 1813, died 1858
When did the Great Stink occur?
Summer of 1858
When did work on the London sewer system start and how was it finished?
Joseph Bazalgette given £3 million in 1858 (about £1 billion today) and using 318 million bricks, he built 83 miles of sewers, finishing the sewers in 1866
When was the Sanitary Act passed and what did this do?
Sanitary Act passed in 1866, each town had to have health inspector, made local councils responsible for sewers, water and street cleaning
When was the Artisans Dwelling Act (the Housing Act) passed and what did it do?
Passed in 1875, made house owners responsible for keeping properties in good order, gave local councils power to buy and demolish slum housing if not improved
When did working-class men living in towns get the vote, and how did a party use this to win an election later on?
Working-class men living in towns given vote in 1867, Conservative Party won general election in 1874 largely due to working-class votes
When was the Second Public Health Act passed and what did it do?
Passed in 1875, local councils forces to appoint Medical Officers responsible for public health, ordered to cover up sewers, keep them in good condition, supply fresh water, collect rubbish and provide street lighting
When was the Sale of Food and Drugs Act passed and what does it do?
Passed in 1875, introduces guidelines for quality and sale of food and medicines
