Medicine Unit 4 Flashcards
What were 2 significant medical developments for surgery in the 20th and 21 century?
- 1967 - Christian Barnard a South African heart surgeon performed the first heart transplant - the patient lived for 18 days
- 2007 - breakthrough in visual prosthetics with the release of the Argus II prosthetic eye
When was the first heart transplant in the UK?
1968
When was the first heart transplant performed? By who?
1967 by Christian Bernard
When was the Argus II prosthetic eye released?
2007
What were 2 significant medical developments for treatments in the 20th and 21 century?
- 1978 - doctors use IVF fertility treatment to help childless women become pregnant
- 1987 - MRI scanning is used to monitor brain activity - helped find brain tumours
When was the first MRI scan done?
1987
When was IVF first introduced?
1978
Who was the first ‘test tube baby’? When was this?
1978 - Louise Brown becomes the first ‘test tube baby’
What were 2 significant medical developments for beliefs in the 20th and 21 century?
- 1953 - Francis Crick and James Watson discover DNA - leads to development of gene therapy, genetic screening and genetic engineering
- 1990 - the Human Genome Project formally launches - aims to decode all of the genes in the human body and identify their roles
When was DNA discovered? By who?
1953 - Francis Crick and James Watson discover DNA
When was the Human Genome Project launched?
1990
What are alternative medicines?
Other way of treating illnesses or health conditions that don’t rely on mainstream, doctor dispensed medicines
What are examples of alternative medicines?
Herbal medicines and remedies
Aromatherapy and hypnotherapy
Acupuncture
Why are alternative medicines on a rise in the 21st century?
People have less trust in the government
There are many illnesses that there’s no current scientific cure for - people seek other methods
Drug resistance is on a rise - our bodies are becoming resistance to antibiotics overtime
What was the world’s first antibiotic?
Penicillin
Why were ‘magic bullets’ not considered as an antibiotic? What happened as a result of this?
They couldn’t kill staphylococcus (a type of bacteria) - many soldiers in WWI were killed by it
What did Fleming realise could kill staphylococcus?
Mould
What is penicillin made of?
Mould
How did Fleming discover penicillin?
On accident - he went on holiday and came back and mould had killed the staphylococcus sample
Who did Fleming inspire? What did they do?
2 Oxford university scientists - Florey and Chain
They set up a mould growing lab to test the penicillin on mice and humans
Who was the first person that successfully had penicillin?
A policeman called Albert Alexander
How many people were saved by penicillin in WWII? What happened as a result?
15% of people - because of this it was put into mass production
Why was Fleming significant in the development of medicine?
He discovered penicillin - first antibiotic that killed staphylococcus
He inspired other scientists to continue his studies and develop them
The discovery of penicillin saved 15% of lives in WWII and is currently used today to treat infections
Why was Fleming insignificant in the development of medicine?
He never tested penicillin on animals - couldn’t see if it worked properly
Florey and Chain were arguably more significant in developing penicillin
Why were Florey and Chain significant in the development of medicine?
They developed penicillin and tested it successfully on a human (Albert Alexander)
Penicillin is still used to treat infections today
What are some limitations of penicillin?
It’s ineffective against MRSA and other superbugs
Lots of people are allergic to penicillin
Many people bodies are building antibiotic resistance - meaning their bodies won’t react properly with penicillin so will be ineffective
How did the First World War impact the development of X-rays?
X-rays were used near battlefields to find exactly where the bullet was in a wounded soldier without cutting them open
They were used for broken bones and disease
How did the First World War impact the development of plastic surgery?
Skin grafts were used to treat severe facial wounds
Harold Gillies was one of the first surgeons to consider appearance when it came to treating wounds
By 1921, over 5000 servicemen had been treated
How did the First World War impact the development of blood transfusions?
1914 - Albert Hustin discovered how to stop blood from clotting - allowed for the storage of blood - prior blood couldn’t be stored as it clotted quickly so many lost lives due to blood loss
What were 5 developments made during the First World War?
- X rays - developed and used to find bullets
- Plastic surgery - skin grafts introduced
- Blood transfusions - blood could be stored now
- Army leg splint developed - elevated and extended a broken leg - helped bone knit together more securely
- Infected flesh was cut away and soaked in saline solution - stopped lethal wound infections
How did the Second World War impact the development of drugs?
Penicillin was developed in the years leading up to the war and was mass produced
1944 - enough penicillin was produced to treat all allied forces in Europe
Penicillin saved 15% lives
When was penicillin discovered?
1928
How did the Second World War impact the development of plastic surgery?
Archibald McIndoe used new drugs e.g. penicillin to protect infection when treating pilots with facial injuries
How did the Second World War impact the development of blood transfusions?
Blood could be kept fresh and useable for longer as the idea of it being stored was developed
1938 - the British National Blood Transfusion Service opened
What were 5 developments made during the Second World War?
- Drug use developed - penicillin was mass produced and saved 15% of lives during WWII
- Plastic surgery infections were prevented - Archibald McIndoe used drugs to prevent injections
- Advances in blood storage - led to the introduction of large blood banks in the USA and UK
- 1948 - NHS created after WWII
- Posters were produced - warned against dangers of poor hygiene
What were some technological breakthroughs that took place after the world wars?
Keyhole surgery
Radiation therapy- treats cancers
Laser surgery
Why were the World Wars significant in the development of medicine?
Led to many technological advancements
Led to the development of the NHS
Led to the development of blood storage, plastic surgery, hygiene etc.
Why were the World Wars insignificant in the development of medicine?
Scientists were involved with war - didn’t have time to develop ideas
During WWII, many towns and cities were burned INCLUDING university libraries - contained a lot of information
When was the First World War?
1914-1918
When was the Second World War?
1939-1945
How long did the Boer War last? Where?
1899-1902 in South Africa
Why did the Boer War start?
There were disagreements about who should have full control over South Africa
What did the British do during the Boer War that they had never done before?
They used trench warfare and guerrilla tactics
Used concentration camps where many died from starvation
Who commanded the British during the Boer War?
Lord Kitchener - ruthless in discipline
How did the Boer War help public health?
Gov needed to stay in war - but didn’t have enough fit soldiers to do so
Campaign for National efficiency began - belief to stop using Laissez faire
How many recruits were unfit for the Boer war?
40% of recruits were physically unfit
How many recruits from Liverpool were unfit?
75% of recruits from Liverpool (industrial town) were unfit
Who was Charles Booth?
A businessman and entrepreneur born in Liverpool
What did Charles Booth do?
Carried out social investigations of the poor in London
How long did it take for Charles Booths results to be finished?
17 years
What was the title of the book in which Charles Booth published his findings?
‘Life and labour of the people in London’
Who was part of the campaign for National efficiency?
Charles booth
How did Charles Booth help public health?
He concluded that the bad public health conditions meant more people were poor
Said poverty led to increases in crime etc. - changes in health could fix this
Challenge Victorian views - which was that it was the poor peoples fault that they were poor
Who was Rowntree?
A wealthy businessman from York
How long did Rowntrees investigations take for them to be complete?
3 years
What did Rowntree believe?
It wasn’t the poors fault that they were poor - the government had to take responsibility
How much % of Yorks population was living below the poverty line?
30%
How did Rowntree help public health?
He was friends with David Lloyd George - prime minister from 1911 but key member of cabinet before too
He used George’s power to help public health
Why did the Boer War not help public health?
The war mostly focused on improving health for men
War could be a distraction - people in government had bigger priorities than focusing on public health
How did Booth not help public health?
Booth only conducted studies in 1 area
No change in policy or legislation (only studies) - relying on someone else to implement change
The studies took a 17 years to complete - mostly focused on men
Some still believed government shouldn’t take responsibility for public health
How did Rowntree not help public health?
Rowntree only conducted studies in 1 area
No change in policy or legislation (only studies) - relying on George to implement change
His studies mostly focused on men
Some still believed government shouldn’t take responsibility for public health
What were the ‘liberal reforms’?
A series of laws and policies introduced by the liberal government from 1906 - they aimed to tackle poverty and improve public health
What 3 groups of people did the Liberal reforms help?
- Elderly
- Children
- Workers
What were the successes of the liberal reforms for the elderly?
Guaranteed an income for those too old to work - through the old age pensions
Made life slightly easier
When were the old age pensions introduced?
1908
What were the failures of the liberal reforms for the elderly?
Pensions only payed out to those over 70 - very few poor people lived until 70
Did not meet the basic needs of the elderly
Pensions were based on income not equal - are equal now
What were the successes of the liberal reforms for children?
Free school meals were introduced for the poor children who were weak and hungry
When were free school meals introduced?
1906
How were free school meals payed for?
By local tax
How many free school meals had been handed out by 1914?
14 million
What were the failures of the liberal reforms for children?
Free school meals weren’t compulsory until 1914
The act didn’t improve health of the children - didn’t provide medical treatments
The level of help provided was left up to local governments - some didn’t help a lot
What were the successes of the liberal reforms for workers?
National insurance act of 1911 introduced health insurance and benefits for the unemployed
Workers received a higher standard of living
Labour exchanges (job centres) were set up to help deal with unemployment
What were the failures of the liberal reforms for workers?
Benefits didn’t cover all family members
Benefits did not cover those who earned over a certain amount of money
Labour exchanges (job centres) were only voluntary
In general, what were the successes of the liberal reforms?
There are still pension, benefits, national insurance and free school meals for some people now - long term significance (still believed as being a good idea)
National government is taking responsibility for the first time - abandoned Laissez Faire attitude
In general, what were the failures of the liberal reforms?
Only applied to certain groups - women weren’t really helped
There was opposition - some people didn’t want to pay money to healthcare if they didn’t use it
What did the Beveridge Report suggest?
The government should take charge of people from ‘cradle to grave’
The poor receive financial help or ‘benefits’
A weekly child allowance was introduced to help with childcare costs
The National Health Service (NHS) would provide health care for everyone
When was the Beveridge Report?
1942
Main differences between housing in the 1800s and housing in the 1900s?
1800s: back to back housing, many lived in the same house, limited ventilation, privies and cesspits used, shared water pump
1900s: houses were semi detached, there were gardens, slum housing demolished, indoor toilets
BECAUSE OF 1875 PUBLIC HEALTH ACT THAT MADE SURE HOUSES WERE BUILT AT A BETTER QUALITY TO IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH
Why did housing improve in the 1900s?
Germ theory - increased scientific knowledge
Government began to take more responsibility
Cholera outbreaks and the proof it was waterborne
What year was the NHS created?
1948
Who was the minister of health responsible for creating the NHS?
Aneurin Bevan
Why was there some opposition to the NHS?
Many doctors saw it as an attempt to limit their ability to make money as well as their right to refuse treatment
How many doctors originally opposed the NHS?
41,000 out of 45,500 doctors in the UK opposed it
How did the NHS change by 1952?
Budget was under pressure - charges were introduced for glasses, prescriptions, and dental treatments - still present today
What were the strengths of the NHS?
Gave free healthcare to all people - 8 million people had never seen a doctor before 1948
Life expectancy increases rapidly
Some treatments are still completely free today e.g. family planning and cancer screening
What were the weaknesses of the NHS?
There was opposition from many doctors and members of the public
Some services have to be paid for now e.g. prescriptions - they were free before
There are many general issues with it e.g. waiting lists, overworking staff, expensive
It was believed that government didn’t really care for health - they said it was introduced as a reward for WW2
