Medicine in 18th- and 19th-century Britain, c.1700-c.1900 Flashcards
Why was their many changes in medicine in the time period?
Britain experienced more changes in the 18th and 19th centuries than in any period before. Changes happened as a result of the Industrial Revolution, developments in science and technology, and a change in the government’s attitude towards its role in the everyday lives of the population. These changes happened slowly, but they had a revolutionary
impact on medicine.
What was the impact of science and technology on the changes in medicine?
By 1750, the Church and classical ideas had lost their dominant influence and scientific ideas were much more accepted. With the growth of new technology, scientists continued to experiment and challenge old ideas. The use of new instruments (such as
microscopes), chemicals and scientific equipment proved many new theories. Further improvements in travel - such as the development of the railways - then enabled these ideas to spread quickly throughout Britain
What was the role of the government in the changes in medicine?
Throughout most of the 18th and 19th centuries, the government adopted a
laissez-faire approach to medicine. This means people thought it was not the government’s role to interfere in everyday life.
However, by the late 19th century this began to change. People began to accept that it was part of the government’s role to look after the health of its people. From this point on, the national government began to pass legislation to force local authorities to improve living conditions and prevent the spread of disease and illness.
What was the theory of spontaneous generation?
Some people still believed in the harmful effects of
miasma, or ‘bad air’, even in the 18th century. However, this theory was rapidly becoming less convincing. Instead, scientists developed the theory of spontaneous generation. Improved microscopes meant that scientists could see
microbes. Scientists observed that microbes appeared on things that had started to rot and believed that they were the product of decay.
Who was louis Pasteur?
Louis Pasteur, a french scientist, revolutionised the medical world through his correct germ theory, where he theorised that miniature microbes called bacteria was the reason for the cause of illness, disproving the spontaneous generation theory. Pasteur’s germ theory went on to influence multiple other practitioners of medicine, such as Robert Koch and his discovery of microbes, as well as completing the reasoning for Edward Jenner’s cowpox vaccine. In addition to this based on his germ theory, Pasteur went on to create vaccines for both anthrax and foul cholera. However he was not able to identify the specific bacteria which cause individual diseases and despite his works being correct, they were not seen as a possibility as many more esteemed physicians still believed in the theory of Miasma.
Who was Robert Koch?
German doctor Robert Koch was able to successfully identify some of the different bacteria that cause common diseases.
Koch developed a new method of growing bacteria using agar jelly in a Petri dish. He then used a dye to stain the bacteria so that it could be seen clearly under a
microscope. Using this method, he was able to identify individual bacteria.
In 1876, Koch found the bacteria that cause
anthrax. Then, in 1882, he identified the bacteria that caused tuberculosis (TB).
His discovery of the bacteria that caused cholera followed shortly after, in 1883.
Koch’s research inspired other scientists. Their work led to the discovery of further bacteria that cause diseases, such as diphtheria, pneumonia and meningitis. Koch’s work greatly improved medicine in Britain, as doctors now understood that it was bacteria that caused the symptoms of disease, so it was the bacteria that needed to be removed.
Who was Florence Nightingale?
Florence Nightingale was a nurse during the Crimean war in the twentieth century, her works revolving around keeping an area clean and maintaining the hygiene of the patients of the hospitals, which were once overcrowded and unclean leading to the spread of infection. This was remedies by ensuring there was regular hand-washing and making improvements to sewerage and ventilation. Florence Nightingale later opened a nursing school in which nurses were taught that cleanliness and the maintenance of hygiene was of utmost importance when treating a patient. Florence Nightingale’s idea of cleanliness was later proved by Louis Pasteur’s germ theory as the absence of bacteria meant that there was less of a chance of infection and later illness. However despite Florence Nightingales works being correct in theory, her ideas surrounding cleanliness and hygiene was based off of the theory of Miasma as the germ theory was not yet developed. .
Who was James Simpson?
In the early 19th century, surgeons experimented with chemicals to find an effective anesthetic for surgery. Laughing gas (nitrous oxide) was used but could not get rid of pain completely and Ether had side effects that irritated the eyes and lungs, causing coughing and sickness. A more effective anesthetic was found in 1847 by James Simpson, a professor of midwifery at the University of Edinburgh. He wanted to find a better anesthetic to ease the pain women experienced in childbirth. One evening he was experimenting at home with his colleagues by inhaling different chemicals. Simpson realised very quickly that chloroform was an effective anesthetic. However, there was some opposition to the use of chloroform as some surgeons preferred their patients to stay awake so that they could fight for their lives, while religious people believed God intended for humans to experience pain, especially in childbirth and
some were worried when Hannah Greener died during an operation on her toenail after being given too much chloroform.
Who was Joseph Lister?
After reading about Louis Pasteur’s germ theory, Joseph Lister was able to create the world’s first antiseptic as his works were based around aseptic surgery. Joseph Lister used carbolic acid in spray form to prevent later infection by killing bacteria. However despite the idea of aseptic technique being correct it was not received well by other physicians as they believed that ensuring a procedure to be aseptic would slow it down and the main priority of surgeons at the time was reducing blood loss.
Who was Edward Jenner?
Edward Jenner had observed that milkmaids who caught the mild disease cowpox did not go on to catch smallpox. Jenner decided to scientifically test whether cowpox could prevent smallpox. He carried out a series of experiments and recorded his findings.
To test his theory about smallpox, Jenner selected a healthy eight-year-old boy called James Phipps and took cowpox from a sore on a milkmaid’s hand and inserted it into Phipps’ body via two cuts and observed that Phipps experienced uneasiness, a loss of appetite and a headache as a result of the mild disease but became well again.
Phipps was then inoculated with smallpox, but no disease followed.
Some doctors opposed it because they were making a lot of money from inoculation and didn’t want to lose that income and the Church did not like the idea of using a disease from cows in human medicine.
As a result of the faced opposition The Royal Society refused to publish Jenner’s ideas.
Who was John Snow?
When a cholera epidemic broke out in 1854, John Snow decided to investigate. His surgery was near Broad Street in central London, and hundreds of people around the area had died from cholera within ten days.
His cholera experiment involved plotting each death on a map and proved that the people who had died all lived close to a specific water pump. He knew people used the water from the pump for drinking, washing and cooking, and the handle was removed from the water pump so that it could not be used.
As a result of this, there were no new cases of cholera or deaths from it in the area and Snow later discovered that a cesspit close to the pump had been leaking waste into the pump’s water supply
By carrying out this experiment, Snow was able to prove that dirty water was causing the spread of cholera. However, many people continued to believe that disease was spread by bad air. This did not change until Louis Pasteur discovered bacteria. Snow had been correct, but he had not known that it was
bacteria in the water that was spreading cholera.
