Changes in medicine 1875-1905

Question 1

Who was known as the “Father of bacteriology”?

Answer 1

Robert Koch

Question 2

When did Robert Koch first identify the anthrax microorganism?

Answer 2

1875

Question 3

When did Koch publish his discovery of the anthrax microorganism and develop methods of staining and photographing microorganisms?

Answer 3

1876

Question 4

When did Koch develop the steam steriliser and find the bacteria that caused septicaemia?

Answer 4

1878

Question 5

When did Koch discover the tuberculosis microorganism?

Answer 5

1882

Question 6

When did Koch discover the cholera microorganism and developed the use of agar jelly to grow culture in Petri dishes?

Answer 6

1883

Question 7

When were aseptic surgery measures introduced?

Answer 7

1887

Question 8

What aseptic surgery measures were introduced?

Answer 8

Operating theatres and hospitals were rigorously cleaned and all surgical instruments were steam sterilised

Question 9

When did sterilised rubber gloves begin to be used?

Answer 9

1894

Question 10

When were blood types discovered and by who?

Answer 10

In 1902 by Austrian Doctor, Karl Landstiener

Question 11

What was the significance of the discovery of blood types?

Answer 11

This meant that blood transfusions could be carried out successfully. However the issues of clotting and how to store blood remained so blood donors had to be physically present to carry out a transfusion

Question 12

What did Paul Ehrlich learn from his previous work?

Answer 12

He had been a member of Koch’s team and had also worked with Behring. He had worked on Koch’s discovery that certain chemicals would dye specific microorganisms without affecting others. He also knew from Behring’s work that antitoxins would only attack specific microorganisms.

Question 13

Who worked on the “magic bullet”?

Answer 13

Paul Ehrlich

Question 14

What was the “magic bullet”?

Answer 14

A chemical that could kill the microorganism causing a specific disease but did no other harm

Question 15

How was the “magic bullet” developed?

Answer 15

In 1905, Ehrlich began trying to find a magic bullet that would treat syphilis. He tried various compounds based on different strengths of arsenic and in 1909, after 606 different compounds had been tried, the first magic bullet was found. It was given the name Salvarsan 606 and it was the first chemical cure for a disease

Question 16

Who discovered polonium and radium?

Answer 16

Marie and Pierre Curie

Question 17

When were polonium and radium discovered?

Answer 17

1898

Question 18

What did the Curies and Henry Becquerel win in 1903?

Answer 18

The Nobel Prize for Physics

Question 19

When did Pierre Curie die?

Answer 19

1906

Question 20

What did Marie Curie do after Pierre’s death?

Answer 20

She continued her work using radioactivity to shrink or kill tumours. She did not patent her work so that others could use it

Question 21

When were X-rays discovered?

Answer 21

1895

Question 22

Who discovered X-rays?

Answer 22

Wilhelm Rontgen whilst studying cathode rays

Question 23

What findings did Rontgen publish in Dec 1895?

Answer 23

That when his wife placed her hand between the cathode ray tube and photographic place, an image was shown of the bones in her hand. He did not patent his findings

Question 24

Why were X-rays helpful?

Answer 24

To locate bullets or shrapnel in war patients meaning that surgeons spent less time digging around, leading to less infections and damage to blood vessels. In addition, X-rays could be used to diagnose tuberculosis or bone tumours or examine internal organs if the patient was given something to drink