Key dates

Question 1

Black Death arrives in England

Answer 1

1348

Question 2

William Harvey proves the circulation of blood

Answer 2

1628

Question 3

Guy’s hospital is founded in London

Answer 3

1724

Question 4

Edward Jenner develops cowpox as a protection against smallpox

Answer 4

1798

Question 5

James Simpson used chloroform as an anaesthetic

Answer 5

1847

Question 6

First Public Health Act is introduced

Answer 6

1848

Question 7

Bazalgette begins building sewers under London

Answer 7

1858

Question 8

Lister publishes a description of carbolic antiseptic in surgery

Answer 8

1867

Question 9

Koch’s work on the identification of tuberculosis is publicised in Britain

Answer 9

1882

Question 10

First of the Liberal social reforms -including free school meals for the poorest children, free medical checks and free treatment - is introduced

Answer 10

1906

Early 20th century

Question 11

Fleming discovers that penicillin kills bacteria

Answer 11

1928

Question 12

NHS comes into operation

Answer 12

1948

Question 13

Crick and Watson publish their research on the structure of DNA

Answer 13

1953

Question 14

First liver transplant is carried out in America

Answer 14

1963

Question 15

Human Genome Project is declared complete with the final sequencing of the entire human genome

(this is a huge breakthrough in understanding how genes help determine who a person is)

Answer 15

2003

Question 16

Vesalius publishes ‘The Fabric of the Human Body’

Answer 16

1543

Question 17

The first blood transfusion

Answer 17

1901