Modern medicine Flashcards
How was penicillin discovered
In 1928 after going on a two week holiday, Flemming found a petri dish in his lab with mould growing on it that had killed some bacteria
He wrote about his discovery in a medical journey
CHANCE
How did Florey and Chain help penicillin development
In 1938 they discovered a method of purifying and producing penicillin
In 1940 they used mice to test penicillin, the WW2 meant British companies didn’t have enough money to produce the drug
In 1941 they turned their lab into a penicillin factory, trials had positive results and Florey seeks assistance in the US who saw its potential and offered funding
1943 Florey tested the drug using small doses on soldiers war wounds in Africa. Many lives were saved and mass production started in Britain
Alternate medicine and treatments
Acupuncture - inserting fine needles into the skin with the aim of assisting the body to balance itself
Hypnotherapy - using hypnosis as a treatment for illness
Herbal medicines - natural medicines made form plants, trees or fungi
Not scientifically proven but some people may find them effective
Antibiotic resistance
Over time some bacteria that has been treated by antibiotics have become resistant to these treatments
Due to people overusing them or not finishing their course of treatment
The WHO said that the danger to the world from antibiotic resistance was very high, fighting diseases such as TB, AIDS and malaria will be much harder
Problems with MRSA in hospitals
Infections caused by MRSA could be life threatening
It’s resistant to antibiotics
NHS promotes hand washing, in patients and medical staff, rates of MRSA have dropped
Blood transfusion
In 1901 Landsteiner identified blood groups, paving the way for blood transfusions
Major developments in surgery
Keyhole and laser surgery Open heart surgery Plastic surgery Xrays Transplants
War and surgery
Weapons in 20th century did much more damage so new techniques had to be developed
WW1 had impact on surgery due to developments in orthopaedic surgery and neurosurgery on battlefield - then used on civilians
Made blood transfusions widespread
Technology and surgery
Keynes developed a machine to store blood and carry out transfusions during WW1
Xray machines are used to work out whats wrong with a patient before surgery and during surgery to make sure it was successful
By WW2 refrigeration technology meant blood banks could be set up
What did Boer war cause people to realise
Many men volunteered to fight however many didn’t pass the medical tests and around a third of all recruits weren’t healthy enough
Worries that if Britain was involved in a bigger war, there would not be enough men who are fit enough to fight
Liberal gov reforms
The gov introduced school meals and medical inspections in school
Old age pensions - brought in pensions which paid 25 pence a week to people over 70 living below the poverty line unless they hadn’t worked or been in prison
National Insurance Act - Given to workers earning less than £160 per year, funded by workers, employers and gov putting money in
National health insurance gave people sickness benefit, maternity benefits, free medical treatment
Unemployment benefit was given to some workers who lost their job, funded by a contribution from the worker and government
What are the 5 giants
Want, ignorance, squalor, idleness and disease
What was the Beveridge report
William beveridge led a comitee that looked into social security
The committee decided there were 5 main problems with British society that stopped people making better life for themselves
The report on social insurance and allied services was published in December 1942 called the Beveridge report
NHS set up and opposition
Aneurin Bevan set up the NHS service in 1948 as part of the welfare state
People had had free healthcare during the war and wanted it to continue
In the first year the service was very popular and great improvements were made in public health
New hospitals followed the plans and many killer diseases began to fall
Opp:
Doctors disliked it as they wanted to keep charging their patients for treating privately than being employed by the gov
What did Booth and Rowntree do
Booth was a wealthy business man and social researcher who produced a report on poverty among the working class in London He spent time with the poor in the area and concluded 30% of London was living in poverty His report challenged the idea that the poor were to blame for their situation
Rowntree worked with Booth on a study of poverty in York
Together they used statistics to prove that poverty was not unique to London but widespread throughout the country
They showed 30% of York lived in poverty too
He came up with the term ‘poverty line’ to describe the amount of money people had to earn to stay out of poverty
People couldn’t help being poor
