industrial revolution medicine Flashcards
What kinds of anaesthetics had been used since the medieval period?
Hashish, mandrake and opium
What was spontaneous generation?
The idea that microbes appeared when something rotted and therefore disease caused microbes
How did surgery changed from the 1890’s ?
It became aseptic rather than antiseptic. Instead of carbolic acid, surgeons sterilised tools and used gowns, rubber gloves and face masks
What did Louis Pasteur discover?
Germ theory- this established that germs were the real cause of infection
What problems existed in surgery at the beginning of this period
- pain
- infection
- blood loss
- complicated surgery could not be carried out
What is specificity ?
The belief that not all microbes were the same and that certain microbes caused specific diseases. This challenged the idea of spontaneous generation
What problems existed in towns during this period?
- overcrowding
- few houses had toilets
- no rubbish collectors
- no sewers to remove waste
- no fresh running water
What did lister pioneer the use of?
Antiseptics- lister used carbolic acid
What early anaesthetics were used, and who discovered them?
Davy- nitrous oxide
Clark- ether
Which individual made the breakthrough link between cholera and water supply ?
John snow
What event in 1858 led to the building of sewers, and who built them?
The great stink, Joesph bazalgette
Why did lister face such opposition?
- Doctors at the time did not accept germ theory
- lister claimed his methods were superior which upset other doctors
- carbolic acid was unpleasant to use
What was Robert Koch responsible for?
He discovered how to stain and grow bacteria. He then used it to infect mice, proving Pasteur’s theory that germs were the cause of disease
What did ordinary people think caused cholera?
- miasma
- rubbish in the streets
Why was Charlton Bastian important?
His ideas about spontaneous generation dominated debate and he wrote many articles in the 1860s. This delayed the acceptance of Pasteur’s germ theory.
