Jenner, Koch and Pasteur Flashcards
How many people in London had died from smallpox by 1751?
Over 3500
What method was used to prevent smallpox before Edward Jenner’s discovery of vaccines?
Inoculation (making a cut in a patient’s arm and soaking it in pus taken from someone with a mild case of smallpox)
Describe how Edward Jenner created the smallpox vaccine
- He heard that milkmaids didn’t get smallpox, but they
did catch cowpox (much milder) - Jenner investigated and discovered that people with cowpox didn’t get smallpox
- In 1791, he tested his theory, and injected a small boy
(James Phipps) with pus from a milkmaid with cowpox.
James didn’t catch the disease - Jenner published his findings in 1798, coining the term
vaccination from the Latin word for cow - vacca
What year did Jenner test his theory on James Phipps?
1791
What year did Jenner publish his vaccination findings?
1798
What was evidence that Jenner’s vaccination discoveries were successful?
- Parliament gave Jenner £10,000 in 1802 to open a
vaccination clinic, and later another £20,000 - Vaccination against smallpox was made free for
infants in 1840, and made compulsory in 1853 - wiped out completely in 1980
What were some negative aspects surrounding Jenner’s vaccination?
- Jenner didn’t know why the vaccination worked, so
he couldn’t develop other vaccines - A lot of people opposed vaccination, including
doctors who gave the old version of inoculation as it
was seen as a threat to their livelihood - In 1797, the Royal Society rejected Jenner’s report on
vaccination - Some cowpox vaccinations could become
contaminated with smallpox - There was a fear of unknown consequences due to the
link with animals - The Church did not like the idea of using a disease from cows in human medicine.
When were vaccinations made free for infants?
1840
When were vaccinations made compulsory for infants?
1853
When did Louis Pasteur publish his “Germ Theory”?
1861
When was smallpox officially wiped out?
In the 1870s
How did Pasteur prove that germs were in the air?
He showed that sterilised water in a closed flask stayed sterile, while sterilised water in an open flask bred germs
(Microscopes, invented in the 17th century, allowed him to view these microbes)
What were the main beliefs about the causes of disease in the 1800s?
- Miasma
- Spontaneous generation
- Contact with the diseased
What was the theory of Spontaneous Generation?
That diseases were caused randomly, and from non living matter, and microbes were a symptom of disease
Who were Contagionists and anti - Contagionists
- Contagionists believed that disease spread through
contact - Anti Contagionists believed that disease spread
through miasma
What was argued in Pasteur’s Germ Theory?
That microbes in the air caused disease, and not the other way around. He also argued that some germs caused disease
What was the initial reaction to Pasteur’s Germ Theory, and why was it like this?
It was met with scepticism, as people couldn’t believe that tiny microbes caused disease. Pasteur was also unable to identify which specific bacteria caused which disease, which meant that it took several years before it became useful
What method did Robert Koch use to link diseases to their specific microbe?
- He used agar jelly to breed lots of bacteria
- Then used dyes to stain the bacteria so they were
more visible under a microscope - Then employed newly invented photography record
his findings
(Injected animals with diseases, then stained bacteria and viewed under a microscope)
Identify any diseases that Koch found the specific bacteria for and the years they were discovered in
Anthrax (1876)
Septicaemia (1878)
Tuberculosis (1882)
Cholera (1883)
Explain the opposition to Pasteur’s germ theory
A famous doctor - Charles Bastian, believed in spontaneous generation, which contradicted Pasteur’s theory
Many doctors couldn’t believe that such small microbes could do so much harm to humans
Name individual microbes that were discovered by other scientists due to Koch’s work
Typhus (1880)
Pneumonia (1880)
Tetanus (1884)
Diptheria (1884)
Describe Pasteur and Koch’s effects on other scientists
They inspired a generation of scientists called the “microbe hunters”
- They became interested in diseases and how to prevent them
- John Tyndall gave lectures on the Germ Theory to British doctors
- William Cheyne translated Koch’s work, highlighting that not all microbes caused
disease - Positively progressed medicine, as they provided the groundwork for other scientists to build off of, and also established a common, and accurate understanding for the cause of bacterial disease, which meant that treatments and preventions could be made more easily, as doctors now had a better understanding of the illness, which was grounded in accurate scientific research, rather than religion or tradition
Describe Pasteur’s work on vaccinations
- In 1881, He produced an attenuated vaccine for anthrax in sheep
- In 1884, he created a vaccine for rabies, which was used a year later on human subjects
- in 1885, he saved a young boys life with his rabies vaccine after he had been bitten by a dog
After a researcher (Charles Chamberland) left out a cholera culture over the weekend. He discovered that attenuated (weakened) cholera germs could make a chicken immune from stronger bouts of cholera
How might have rivalry catalysed medical progress? (Pasteur and Koch)
The Franco - Prussia war (between France and Germany) ended in 1871.
National rivalry could have motivated each scientist to make new medical findings, to give their country an advantage over the other
What is the name for Koch’s process of linking a disease to a specific microbe?
Bacteriology
When did Pasteur’s theories become more widely accepted?
By the 1880s
What were the problems with inoculation?
- The dose could be too large and kill the patient
- Inoculation was a treatment that only the rich could afford
- People that had been inoculated could still pass the illness onto other people
Describe opposition to Jenner’s vaccinations
- The formation of the Anti Compulsory Vaccination League in 1866
- Many private doctors who performed inoculations disliked them as vaccinations
essentially put them out of business (they profited off of inoculation) - Jenner faced criticism as he could not explain why it worked
- Attempts to replicate Jenner’s vaccination failed, however these were mostly due to
contaminated equipment, which they didn’t realise at the time
what were some signs of continuity in regards to beliefs about causes of disease in the 18th century
- people still believed in miasma
what did Pasteur’s experiments bring a greater understanding of
fermentation and how to prevent it
