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medicine Flashcards

1
Q

What are the three main historical periods in medical history?

A

Medieval, Early Modern, Modern

Medieval: Up to 1500; Early Modern: 1500-1800; Modern: 1800 to present.

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2
Q

What were the four main causes of illness believed by medieval people?

A
  • Poverty
  • Warfare
  • Famine
  • Accidental death

These factors were thought to contribute significantly to health issues.

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3
Q

What did medieval people believe caused illness?

A
  • God
  • Bad smells
  • Supernatural
  • The Four Humours being out of balance

The Four Humours theory posited that health was maintained by a balance of bodily fluids.

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4
Q

What public health issues contributed to disease spread in medieval towns?

A
  • Lack of hygiene
  • Lack of clean water
  • Poor sanitation
  • No refuse collection

These conditions were prevalent and worsened health outcomes.

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5
Q

What major epidemic occurred in 1348?

A

Black Death

The Black Death was caused by Bubonic and Pneumonic plague.

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6
Q

What was a significant outbreak of plague in the Early Modern period?

A

Great Plague of 1665

This outbreak was particularly severe.

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7
Q

What did people begin to understand about disease during the Early Modern period?

A

Beginning to make the link between dirt and disease.

This marked a shift in public health understanding.

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8
Q

What was the purpose of the plague doctor outfit?

A

To protect against bad smells (miasma) and to make ‘venomous atoms’ slide off.

The beak of the outfit was filled with aromatic substances to counteract miasma.

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9
Q

What new diseases spread due to overcrowding in industrial towns?

A
  • Typhoid
  • Typhus
  • Scarlet fever
  • Tuberculosis

Overcrowding significantly increased the spread of contagious diseases.

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10
Q

What was Phossy jaw?

A

A new industrial hazard in match factories.

It was caused by exposure to phosphorus.

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11
Q

When did the first big cholera outbreak occur?

A

1831

Cholera is a waterborne disease that spread globally.

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12
Q

How did typhoid spread?

A

By contaminated water, food, and faeces.

This disease was particularly lethal, affecting many, including notable figures like Prince Albert.

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13
Q

What pandemic occurred after World War I?

A

Spanish flu

It resulted in 20-40 million deaths worldwide.

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14
Q

What was the estimated death toll of AIDS by 2014?

A

40 million died; 40 million living with it.

AIDS was first identified in 1981 and is caused by a virus.

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15
Q

Fill in the blank: AIDS is spread by _______.

A

unprotected sex, hypodermic needles, contaminated blood.

These transmission routes highlight the need for preventive measures.

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16
Q

What did Hippocrates believe about disease prevention?

A

Hippocrates believed that keeping your humours balanced through exercise, rest, and diet prevented disease.

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17
Q

What was the Roman belief regarding cleanliness?

A

Romans believed in clean water and cleanliness, but these ideas were lost after they left.

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18
Q

How did the Church view illness prevention?

A

The Church believed illness could be prevented by living a Christian life and praying for forgiveness of sins.

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19
Q

What were some misguided attempts to prevent the Black Death?

A

Attempts included fasting, avoiding bathing, and drinking vinegar or wine.

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20
Q

What did alchemists believe about their distilled vinegar?

A

Alchemists believed that the ‘medicine’ they created from distilled vinegar would prevent disease.

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21
Q

What did wise women do to prevent disease?

A

Wise women collected plants and herbs to make and sell charms to prevent the spread of disease.

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22
Q

What was the saying that emerged in the late 18th to early 19th century?

A

‘Prevention is better than cure’ became popular during this time.

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23
Q

What were cold water treatments?

A

Cold water treatments involved ‘taking the waters’ at spa towns and drinking cold water to flush out impurities.

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24
Q

What did Alexander Gordon recommend to prevent child bed fever?

A

Alexander Gordon recommended hand washing and clean clothes between delivering babies.

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25
What was discovered to be the cause of scurvy?
The cause of scurvy was found to be a lack of Vitamin C, which could be prevented by drinking lime juice.
26
Who was the first to create a vaccination for smallpox?
Edward Jenner created the first vaccination for smallpox in 1796.
27
What did Dr. John Snow prove in 1854?
Dr. John Snow proved that cholera was water-borne and stopped an epidemic by removing the handle from the Broad Street water pump.
28
What vaccines were introduced in the 19th century?
Vaccines introduced included Chicken cholera (1880), Anthrax (1881), and Rabies (1885).
29
What vaccines were introduced after World War II?
Vaccines introduced included Polio (1955), Measles (1963), MMR (1988), and Hepatitis (1994).
30
What are herbal medicines?
Herbal medicines can be documented in books, include prayers for herb picking, or be family secrets passed down through generations.
31
What is urine diagnosis?
A method used by medieval doctors involving smelling, looking at the color, and tasting urine. ## Footnote 'Vademecum' means 'Carry with Me' and refers to a urine chart.
32
What did the zodiac chart indicate?
It showed which body parts were connected to different star signs and when to perform surgery or treat patients.
33
Who could afford trained doctors in medieval times?
Only wealthy individuals could afford to consult a trained doctor, also known as a physician.
34
What were 'quacks'?
'Quacks' were unlicensed doctors selling cures for profit.
35
What roles did barber-surgeons have?
Barber-surgeons learned on the job and performed tasks like pulling teeth, setting broken bones, and using leeches.
36
What new studies emerged in medicine?
New studies focused on mental illness, specifically 'melancholy', and midwifery.
37
What did Simpson introduce in 1847?
Simpson introduced chloroform to address pain in surgery.
38
What significant event occurred in 1853 regarding chloroform?
Queen Victoria used chloroform, making it more acceptable for use.
39
What was the 'Black Period in Surgery'?
From 1847-1865, doctors became more adventurous with operations, leading to increased deaths from infection and blood loss.
40
Who introduced antiseptic surgery?
Joseph Lister introduced antiseptic surgery in 1865, significantly reducing deaths from infection.
41
What is aseptic surgery?
Aseptic surgery involves killing germs before operating on a patient, using methods like steam sterilizers and protective clothing.
42
What contributions did Marie Curie make?
Marie Curie worked on radiation, paving the way for cancer treatments and mobile X-ray machines in WW1.
43
What was the first 'Magic Bullet'?
Salvarsan 606, developed by Paul Ehrlich in 1910, was the first 'Magic Bullet' to treat syphilis.
44
Who discovered penicillin?
Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, with further development by Florey and Chain in the 1940s.
45
What was significant about Christian Barnard's work?
Christian Barnard performed the first successful heart transplant in 1967, paving the way for more transplant surgeries.
46
What treatment emerged for cancer in the 20th century?
Chemotherapy became a recognized treatment for cancer.
47
Who proposed the Theory of the Four Humours?
Hippocrates proposed the Theory of the Four Humours, which stated that a balance of four humours in the body resulted in good health.
48
What did Galen contribute to medicine?
Galen continued Hippocrates' ideas, emphasized the importance of dissection, and studied patients' pulses.
49
What is alchemy?
Alchemy is an early form of chemistry focused on turning base metals into gold and finding an 'Elixir of Life' for immortality.
50
What role did astrology play in medicine?
Astrology involved studying the position of stars before performing operations or bleeding.
51
What was Andreas Vesalius known for?
Andreas Vesalius published 'Fabric of the Human Body' in 1543, correcting Galen on about 200 points.
52
What did Ambroise Pare develop?
Ambroise Pare developed an ointment for treating gunshot wounds and used ligatures to tie blood vessels instead of cauterizing.
53
What did William Harvey explain?
William Harvey fully explained the circulation of blood in his work 'On the Motion of the Heart' published in 1628.
54
What is Germ Theory?
Louis Pasteur established Germ Theory in 1861, linking germs to disease.
55
Who discovered the germs that caused TB and cholera?
Robert Koch discovered the germs causing tuberculosis in 1883 and cholera in 1884.
56
What did Wilhelm Rontgen discover?
He discovered X-rays in 1895, paving the way for advanced imaging techniques.
57
What did Watson and Crick discover?
The structure of DNA in 1953, which advanced the fight against diseases.
58
What were infirmaries?
Infirmaries looked after the old and 'infirm'.
59
What were leper hospitals?
Leper hospitals were designated for those suffering from leprosy.
60
What were almshouses?
Almshouses were the medieval equivalent of care homes for the old, and also assisted widows and young children.
61
What were royal hospitals?
Royal hospitals, such as St Bartholomew's and St Thomas's, were established in London using royal funds.
62
How did the Industrial Revolution affect hospitals?
It led to the establishment of more hospitals, including Guy's Hospital in London, set up by wealthy individuals like Thomas Guy.
63
What was the significance of the 19th century for hospitals?
There was a big increase in the number of hospitals due to growing city populations, with general hospitals being set up to accommodate the poor sick and dispense medicines.
64
Who was Florence Nightingale?
She became famous for improving hospital conditions during the Crimean War, which significantly reduced death rates.
65
What did Florence Nightingale establish after returning to England?
She set up a Nursing School in 1860 at St Thomas's Hospital and wrote 'Notes on Nursing' in 1859.
66
What were the expectations for hospitals by 1900?
Hospitals were expected to be clean, have fresh air, warmth, light, and provide appropriate diets.
67
What social reforms occurred in the early 20th century?
Government attitudes changed, leading to welfare and social reforms aimed at reducing poverty, such as the Liberal government from 1906-1914 and the National Insurance Act of 1911.
68
What was the Beveridge Report of 1942?
It identified five giants: Want, Squalor, Ignorance, Idleness, and Disease, which led to the establishment of the NHS in 1948.
69
What was the significance of the NHS established in 1948?
It provided free medical care for ordinary people from cradle to grave.
70
What sanitation issues existed in towns and cities?
There was poor waste disposal, with night soil men removing human waste and dumping it into rivers, leading to very smelly conditions.
71
What were the consequences of the Black Death?
Outbreaks of plague from 1348 led to the death of between a third and a half of the European population.
72
What was the government attitude towards public health in the early 19th century?
The government adopted a laissez-faire approach, meaning they did not get involved in public health issues.
73
What was the significance of Edwin Chadwick's report in 1842?
He argued that most people were poor due to poor health, not idleness, leading to the First Public Health Act in 1848.
74
What did the Second Public Health Act of 1875 achieve?
It forced councils to build sewers, provide clean water, and clear refuse, marking a real breakthrough in public health.
75
What were some post-WW2 housing initiatives?
The Labour government built 1 million houses as part of slum clearance and new housing initiatives.
76
What health campaigns have emerged in the 21st century?
Government campaigns focus on unhealthy lifestyles, fitness drives, and healthy eating in response to the obesity epidemic.

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