Medicine in modern Britain, c.1900-present Flashcards
What was the first magic bullet?
In 1900, Ehrlich put forward the concept of a magic bullet when he argued that a chemical could deliberately target bacteria in the human body and kill those bacteria.
Ehrlich tested arsenic compounds to find a cure for syphilis and in 1909, a Japanese scientist called Sahachiro Hata retested all of the compounds and discovered the first magic bullet, Salvarsan 606.
What was the 2nd Magic bullet?
In the 1930s, Gerhard Domagk used experiments on mice to discover that Prontosil killed the bacteria that cause blood poisoning.
When his daughter developed blood poisoning after cutting her finger on a rose bush, Domagk was able to test Prontosil on a human being and she was the first human cured by a magic bullet.
Scientists carried out a series of experiments and realised that Salvarsan 606 and Prontosil contained sulphonamide and following this discovery, drug companies went on to develop sulphonamide cures for diseases such as pneumonia and scarlet fever.
What was Fleming’s discovery of penicilin?
-In 1928, a scientist called Alexander Fleming was studying the wounds of soldiers and infections caused by the staphylococci bacteria in his laboratory in London.
-He left some petri dishes on the windowsill containing the bacteria and went on holiday. Above his laboratory, a scientist was working with penicillin mould.
-While Fleming was away, some penicillin mould landed on the dishes, possibly having floated in through an open window.
-On his return, Fleming inspected the dishes and noticed that the penicillin mould had killed the staphylococci bacteria underneath.
-After carrying out several further experiments with the penicillin mould, Fleming noticed that it could kill bacteria without harming other nearby cells.
-He experimented and successfully used penicillin to treat a friend’s eye infection.
What was the mass production of penicillin?
In 1941, America entered World War Two. The American government realised the potential importance of penicillin for treating wounded soldiers and funded its mass production. British companies followed. By
D-Day in 1944, the Allies had produced 2.3 million doses with which to treat the wounded.
What was the 1911 national insurance act?
The Liberal government of 1906-1914 introduced the National Insurance Act in 1911. This enabled workers to access medical care. Workers, employers and the government would pay into a fund from which medical care and treatment would be paid for. However, this support did not include the families of workers.
What is the NHS?
World War Two led to a change in access to health care in Britain. During the war many people were able to get free health care, and they wanted this to continue. In 1942 William Beveridge, a government civil servant, published a report that became known as the Beveridge Report. It recommended:
-a National Health Service that would be free for everyone
-access to medical care and treatment that would be paid for from taxes
However, there was some opposition to a National Health Service (NHS) from doctors. Previously they had worked privately, and some did not want to lose any income. Aneurin Bevan, the Minister of Health, overcame this by agreeing that doctors could continue to treat private patients.
The NHS was introduced in 1948 and marked a significant change in government involvement in medicine. Its aim was to provide free health care for all. It was paid for by taxes and showed that the British government had taken complete responsibility for health care.
What were the improvements in the diagnosis of illness?
Advances in technology have led to machines and computers that enable doctors to understand and diagnose illness more accurately. New methods of diagnosing illness have sometimes removed the need for surgery. This has often made the process quicker and more comfortable for patients. For example:
-X-rays are used to diagnose broken bones.
-CT scans are used to diagnose
tumours and growths in the body.
-Blood tests are used to test samples of blood and diagnose a range of illnesses.
-An endoscope is a tiny camera on the end of a flexible cable that can be swallowed and used to diagnose problems with the digestive system.
What were the improvements in medical and surgical treatment in hospitals
Advances in technology have also led to changes in hospital treatments. High-tech medical and surgical treatments take place daily in a safe hospital environment. For example:
-Radiotherapy is used to shrink tumours growing inside the body. It is an effective treatment for cancer.
-Small machines are used in the treatment of illness and during surgery. For example, when a patient has a heart bypass,a machine performs the functions of a heart.
-Prosthetic limbs are used to replace
amputated limbs.
-Keyhole surgery uses tiny cameras and surgical instruments to perform an operation with just a tiny cut. This enables the patient to heal much quicker.
What was the discovery of the structure of DNA?
Advances in technology enabled the discovery of the structure of
DNA in 1953. It was discovered by the scientists Francis Crick and James Watson. They worked with X-ray photographs taken by Rosalind Franklin and powerful
microscopes to build a model of DNA.
They discovered that DNA is shaped as a double helix.
DNA stores all information about a person and passes it from parent to child. Once scientists were able to map the code of DNA, they were able to understand the cause of
genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and Parkinson’s disease.
What was the human genome project?
The Human Genome Project was launched in 1990. Scientists all over the world worked together to map the human genome, which is the full set of hereditary information found in a human’s DNA. This was only possible because there had been many advances in technology and computers.
The project was completed in 2003 and scientists were able to use the collected information to identify differences in the DNA of different humans that indicate genetic disease. For example, scientists have now been able to identify that some people carry a gene that leads to breast cancer, which has led to better treatments.
What was the link between smoking and lung cancer?
Medical evidence suggests that cigarette smoking is the main cause of lung cancer. In some cases, lung cancer is a result of passive smoking, where people have inhaled the smoke from other people’s cigarettes.
However until the mid-20th century, when attitudes started to change, smoking was incredibly common and very few people would have regarded it as a dangerous activity. Indeed, smoking was even allowed in doctors’ surgeries and many medical professionals smoked. During World War Two, cigarettes were provided as part of a soldier’s rations
What was the diagnosis and prevention of lung cancer?
Lung cancer is very difficult to diagnose in its early stages. More advanced lung cancer can be diagnosed using
CT scans. As a result, the government tries to educate people about the dangers and prevent the disease in the first place. It does this in various ways:
-Anti-smoking campaigns warn people of the dangers of smoking. For example, you can see very graphic warnings and photographs of damage and disease caused by smoking on cigarette packaging.
-Advertising campaigns highlight the symptoms of lung cancer. There are regularly adverts on television that do this.
-Advertisements for cigarettes have been banned. Previously, tobacco companies even sponsored sporting events.
-Laws have been passed that have raised the legal age of buying tobacco from 16 to 18. Since the early 21st century, smoking has been banned in public places.
What are the treatments for lung cancer?
Treatments for lung cancer have progressed throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries following advances in science and technology and government funding. Currently, some of the treatments for lung cancer include:
-Radiotherapy - radiation is used to attack and kill the cancer cells.
-Chemotherapy - powerful chemicals are used to attack and kill the cancer cells.
-Immunotherapy - the patient’s
immune system is boosted using this treatment so that it can attack and kill the cancer cells.
-Transplant - damaged lungs are replaced with lungs from an
organ donor.
