Modern Medicine

Question 1

What did Flemming do?

Answer 1

Went on holiday but left a dirty petri dish out on a bench- when he returned, penicillin mould had grown and killed staphylococcus germs.

Question 2

What was staphylococcus?

Answer 2

A killer germ resistant to all magic bullets apart from penicillin.

Question 3

Why was Flemming’s research not a breakthrough at the time?

Answer 3

He didn’t realise that penicillin could be used as an antibiotic, not just an antiseptic. He lost interest and funding.

Question 4

What did Florey and Chain do?

Answer 4

They discovered Flemming’s research and couldn’t start research properly due to lack of funding. However, they later tested penicillin on an infected person and it worked until it ran out. The USA and UK gave them funding for D-Day (WWII).

Question 5

Did Florey and Chain have an impact?

Answer 5

Yes! Their work on D-Day led to a pharmaceutical boom as there was a need for a mass production of penicillin. It saved 15% of American and British soldiers in WWII and millions of lives since then.

Question 6

How did drugs/antibiotics impact medical progression?

Answer 6

They were being made on a mass scale which meant that big pharmaceutical companies made money and saved many lives.

Question 7

How did aspirin impact medical progression?

Answer 7

Willow bark (an aspirin) can thin blood which prevent blood clots. This prevents heart attacks.

Question 8

How did Crick and Watson impact medical progression?

Answer 8

They discovered DNA in 1953. This meant that people could now understand genetic diseases like cancer and work out how to treat them.

Question 9

How did a lack of standardised testing challenge medical progression?

Answer 9

Some people were given medicine with unknown side effects e.g. thalidomide was sold as a ‘safe’ sleeping tablet given to pregnant mothers, which led to babies being born with deformities.

Question 10

How did antibiotic resistance challenge medical progression?

Answer 10

People had overused antibiotics which causes them to no longer work.

Question 11

How did new diseases challenge medical progression?

Answer 11

Certain diseases still don’t have a cure e.g. AIDS has killed 40 million people worldwide.

Question 12

What is the impact of positive health?

Answer 12

It prevents and cures illness and disease. You can acquire positive health through a healthy diet, no misuse of alcohol and drugs and less tobacco.

Question 13

Why has alternative medicine become popular?

Answer 13

There has been a lack of confidence in mainstream medicine and doctors.

Question 14

What is hypnotherapy and aromatherapy?

Answer 14

Examples of alternative medicine that are sued to create positive thinking and stimulate parts of the brain to bring about healing.

Question 15

What is the problem with overusing penicillin?

Answer 15

It prompts bacteria to evolve and become increasingly resistant to common antibiotics.

Question 16

What did Gillies do?

Answer 16

He was the first man to be credited with ‘plastic surgery’ during WWI; he treated men suffering with severe facial wounds.

Question 17

What did Landsteiner discover?

Answer 17

Different blood groups in 1900.

Question 18

Did Gillies have an impact?

Answer 18

Yes! His work led to the development if plastic surgery and by 1921, over 5000 servicemen had been treated.

Question 19

Did Landsteiner have an impact?

Answer 19

Yes! Worked out that transfusions only worked if the donor’s blood matched the recipients- this would help surgeons operating on soldiers with blood loss.

Question 20

How did WWI impact the use of x-rays?

Answer 20

First discovered in 1895 and used for broken bones, but became really important in WWI. Bullets or shrapnel became easier to see without cutting the patient open.

Question 21

What are the main impacts of health and surgery during WWI and II?

Answer 21

People can now donate blood for transfusions, x-rays used on patients with physical injuries, plastic surgery now used to change people’s looks, infections from injuries prevented and mental illness now acknowledged e.g. PTSD.

Question 22

What was the impact of injected anaesthetics?

Answer 22

It’s easier to control dosages so it’s very accurate - patients could still be awake during surgery.

Question 23

What did Marie Curie do?

Answer 23

Accidentally discovered radium whilst studying x-rays.

Question 24

Did Marie Curie have an impact?

Answer 24

Yes! We can now use beams of radiation to target cancer cells, which is more precise.

Question 25

What was the impact of open keyhole surgery on surgical advancement?

Answer 25

It allows better and more intrusive surgery.

Question 26

How did WWII influence the creation of the NHS?

Answer 26

The British gov increased it’s involvement in medical care, and people started to think about how best to organise healthcare on a national basis.

Question 27

How did the Boer War lead to the government’s desires to improve public health?

Answer 27

It showed that 40% of their volunteers were unfit to be soldiers, so the gov set up a committee to inquire the ‘physical deterioration of the people’. The government began to introduce reforms to get Britain healthier.

Question 28

What did Booth do?

Answer 28

Found that 35% of the population lived in abject poverty, and established a link between poverty and a high death rate.

Question 29

Did Booth have an impact?

Answer 29

Yes! His reports were influential in changing attitudes towards the poor, and he inspired Rowntree to do the same work.

Question 30

What did Rowntree do?

Answer 30

Found that nearly half the working class people in York live in poverty.

Question 31

Did Rowntree have an impact?

Answer 31

Yes! He was influential in changing government attitudes towards poverty.

Question 32

How did the Liberal party improve public health?

Answer 32

They won the general election in 1906 and began a series of social reforms.

Question 33

When was the Free School Meals Act introduced and what did it do?

Answer 33

1906 - allowed local councils to provide school meals.

Question 34

When was the Education Act introduced and what did it do?

Answer 34

1907 - created school medical inspections, government paid for school clinics to be set up with free treatment.

Question 35

What did Beveridge do?

Answer 35

Created the Beveridge Report in 1942 which highlighted the 5 giants (social issues) e.g. Want and Ignorance. He also suggested a new welfare system, an NHS and child allowances.

Question 36

What was the Welfare State?

Answer 36

An act introduced in 1948 which created the NHS (healthcare for all), school leaving age raised to 15, child allowance, benefits, slum clearance and the building of council houses.

Question 37

What did the Minister of Health, Bevan, introduce?

Answer 37

The NHS.

Question 38

How has the NHS improved 21st century healthcare?

Answer 38

Taking preventative measures; non-smoking campaigns, sugar tax, 5-a-day. Future technology can be used at home to treat patients which will loosen strain on NHS.

Question 39

What are some healthcare issues that still exist during the 21st century?

Answer 39

NHS costing more and more every year e.g. £150 billion in 2015. Dentists and opticians have to be paid for. New causes of death e.g. dementia.