Industrial Period - c.1700 - 1900 Flashcards
What happened to Britain during the Industrial Revolution?
*Small Pox epidemics in 1722,23 & 40-42
*Hospitals improved -
vaccines - smallpox
Nursing - Florence Nightingale
*Public health laws introduced 1848 & 1875
Development in Surgery -pain relief - infection
Germ theory - Louis Pasteur, to fight infection
*Social movement stronger
*Growth - towns & cities
What happened to people’s attitudes because of the enlightenment and the scientific revolution?
Sought more answers, theorised more, became more rational and less superstitious
What was the idea of Spontaneous Generation that people generally believed in in 1800?
People believed that animalcules were the product of decay rather than germs being the cause of it
Did people still believe in miasma at this time?
Yes but the theory was becoming less popular
Were humoural treatments still popular?
Not as much but they hadn’t found anything to replace it
When did Pasteur publish germ theory?
1861
How did Koch and Tyndall help with wider acceptance of germ theory?
Koch Discovered specific germs that cause specific ilness
Tyndell discovered organic particles in air - linked Pasteur’s work to surgeon Joseph Lister
What common procedure existed for trying to protect people against illness during the 1700s?3
Vaccinations
What did Edward Jenner develop in 1796?
Smallpox vaccination
Give three examples of events from the 1800s that demonstrate the growth of the acceptance of vaccinations.
Government made smallpox vaccination compulsory - 1852
public appointed - 1871
government enforced compulsory vaccinations - 1872
Why was it impossible to create other vaccinations before 1861?
Germ theory proved previously believed spontaneous generation wrong
What vaccinations were developed after germ theory?
Smallpox - 1796
tetanus and diphtheria - 1890
What was chloroform and who discovered what it could do in 1847?
James Simpson
The ability to make you unconscious for periods of time.
Who made chloroform safer by inventing a dispenser in 1848?
John Snow
How did germ theory help Joseph Lister?
he discovered that infected wounds was essentially rotting flesh - compared it to germ theory - theorised germs as the reason for decay - therefore thought it would be possible to find a chemical that would clear germs from wounds and in 1865 he began to use carbolic acid in operation
What was the difference between antiseptic and aseptic surgery?
Aseptic -
operating theatres had to be clean - steam clean surgical tools - rubber gloves worn - surgical gowns - face masks
Antiseptic -
operating theatres had to systematically use antiseptics and dress wounds
Why was there opposition to anaesthetics at first?
Fear - Hannah Green - 14 - first to die after having chloroform in an operation - scared people
Deeper/more dangerous surgeries were attempted - infection and death rates went up
Interfering pain was interfering with God’s plan
Doctors - some believed patients were more likely to die if unconsious
Why was opposition to antiseptics at first?
People didn’t understand the science behind it
Carbolic spray - smelt funny - led to bad skin - surgeon’s hands feel sore
Doctors didn’t accept that germs caused infections - didn’t want to believe they were the reason for a patients death
Who administered chloroform to Queen Victoria in 1851?
John Snow
How were hospitals set up and sponsored during the 18th and 19th centuries?
Rich people and members of the new middle class (businessmen and lawyer) donating
During which war did Florence Nightingale work as a nurse?
Crimean War
Why did conditions of the hospitals shock her?
There were extremely bad - unsanitary - overcrowded
How did she improve the design of hospitals?
Cleaned them up - gave them order/structure
How did she help professionalise nursing?
Demanded more from the nurses, trained them - got rid of the flirtatious steryotype
What was the attitude of the government to public health at the start of the 19th century?
Uninvolved - largely inactive - did tackle problem of gin by raising the price
What report did Edwin Chadwick publish in 1842?
A report called ‘Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population of Great Britain’
What diseases were common in the overcrowded and dirty cities of 19th century Britain?
Smallpox
Cholera
What did the Public Health Act of 1848 include?
Gave town councils the option of volunteering to provide clean water to its inhabitants
What did the Public Health Act of 1875 include?
Enforced councils to provide clean water, sewers, remove nuisances and clear slums
What gave Edward Jenner his hunch about what protected people against smallpox?
Observation
How did Jenner prove he was right?
he tested it on a young boy - injected him with a small amount of cowpox - tamer version - found out he was then immune to them both
What was the reaction to Jenner’s vaccination?
Firstly fear & suspicion
Religious leaders - against god’s will
Inoculators fear for their business
Why did the government prefer vaccination to the old style of inoculation?
Cheaper
Give two reasons why vaccination mattered for medicine
It saved the lives of millions of people
It enabled them to discover
How did John Snow prove his hunch that cholera was coming from the Broad Street pump?
Snow removed the handle from the pump on Broad Street, preventing locals from using it.
The outbreak of cholera went away.
How did the government react to Snow’s findings?
They rejected it in favour of Miasma, partly because it would be costly to ensure a clean water supply
What other event in 1858 finally pushed the government to sorting out the water supplies in London?
The Great Stink” in London.
