impact of war, science and technology

Question 1

chloroform

Answer 1

1847 - discovered as an effective anaesthetic by james simpson

Question 2

“On the Mode of Communication of Cholera”

Answer 2

1849 - paper published by John Snow, describing the idea that people caught cholera through what they ate and drank.
- many did not really believe this theory as pasteur’s germ theory had not really been discovered, and there was not much solid evidence to prove this point

Question 3

Queen Victoria

Answer 3

1853 - John Snow gave the queen chloroform during her childbirth as an anaesthetic, legitimised the use of chloroform and seemed to tear down most opposition

Question 4

crimean war

Answer 4

1853-56 - forced doctors to come up with new ways to treat injured soldiers in wards, also where florence nightingale arrived (1854)
- improved cleanliness of the area and promoted ventilation due to her beliefs of miasma theory
- cut the death rate from 40% to 2%

Question 5

broad street pump

Answer 5

1854 - john snow traces cholera to one pump in soho, proving the link between the water pump and soho from the people that got sick due to cholera.
- many believed that miasma caused people around the pump to catch the disease, little action taken
- only after pasteur’s germ theory did more people accept the idea of disease spread through water

Question 6

germ theory (war&med)

Answer 6

1861 - more people accepted the idea that disease was spread through water, but ideas of miasma and spontaneous generation were deeply embedded in society, and therefore ideas did not change immediately

Question 7

franco - prussian war

Answer 7

1870-71 - more than 300,000 pounds donated to help during the war, showing how effective it was to treat others and provide medical assistance.

Question 8

koch (war&sci)

Answer 8

1875 - he finds the specific microbe causing anthrax in sheep
- disease affected mostly animals but also some people

Question 9

wilhelm röntgen

Answer 9

1895 - discovers purpose of x-rays and invents x-ray machine

Question 10

boer wars

Answer 10

1899-1902 - lots of improvement in british surgical equipment and treatment at the site of the war, including 20,000 casualties saved

Question 11

karl landesteiner

Answer 11

1901- identifies three blood groups, a, b, o, and ab in 1902, and discovers blood transfusions can only occur between the same blood groups, and all form type o (1907)

Question 12

magic bullet

Answer 12

1909 - discovered by Paul Ehrlic, with Salvarson 606, as the first chemical cure for a disease
- had many side effects, and therefore was not widely used
- extensive and expensive process to identify magic bullets, 2nd one not found 1932

Question 13

plastic surgery wards

Answer 13

1916 - gilles developed skin grafting techniques in world war 1, persuaded the army to set up specialist ward for facial industry
1917 - opened another ward with 1000 beds as demands increased

Question 14

thomas splint

Answer 14

ww1 - structure devloped to transport the casualty as it was moving to prevent further damage (mostly to the leg)

Question 15

Harvey Cushing

Answer 15

ww1 - neurosurgeon who experimented with brain surgery, like using iron to draw out bits of a bullet/other weapons from the brain

Question 16

battle of cambrai

Answer 16

1917 - first blood bank used, with the discovery of glucose citrate, by Rous and Turner, allowing the blood to be able to be stored for around 4 weeks
- administered to patients who had suffered with shock, were able to recover due to the blood transfusion

Question 17

penicilin testing

Answer 17

1941 - florey and chiain tested the penicilin on the first humans, and world war 2 allowed the treatment to be quickly used widely, and its success caused it to become widely used and accepted after the war
- saved lives of over 200 million people
huge breakthrough

Question 18

skin grafts and burns

Answer 18

1938 - pioneered by archibald mcindoe, combined with his discoveries with saline baths and other soldiers during world war 2
- chemical creams were painful and caused huge harm to large areas, drying out the skin
- pioneered usage of saline bath after observing wounded air pilots.

Question 19

after battle of britain

Answer 19

1942 - gillies and mcindoe perform plastic surgery in front of the media