Modern Medicine Flashcards
When are people the poorest according to Booth and Rowntree’s reports and why?
Ages 5-15 because you are too young to work, Ages 30-40 because your kids are too young to work, and Ages 65+ because you are too old to work
What is welfare?
Government programs that provide financial or other aid to individuals or groups who cannot support themselves
What welfare was available and the start of the 20th century?
No old age pensions, unemployment benefits or family allowances
Why did the Boer War lead to progress in public health?
The Government realised how poor and unhealthy the citizens really were
What percentage of people were unfit to fight in the Boer War?
90% of soldiers from cities and 40% of all soldiers
What percentage of Londoners couldn’t afford to eat even if they worked full-time in the early 1900s?
30%
How did the poor buy clothes in early 1900s London?
They didn’t pay rent or they didn’t eat - something had to be sacrificed
Where and when did Booth and Rowntree carry out their reports?
Booth - London, 1886-1903
Rowntree - York, 1899-1901
What did Booth’s and Rowntree’s reports lead to the government realising
That disease, unemployment and age were the main causes of poverty and people could not escape poverty by themselves
What was the diet of the poor like in early 1900s London?
No meat, they can only afford bread, margarine, tea and sugar, the church gave out soup 2-3 times a week and they would occasionally get bad cuts of fish, bacon or eggs
Out of every 100 people, how many were affected by poverty in Britain?
25 or more were living in dire poverty (starvation levels), 2 or 3 we living comfortable and 72 or 73 were living in poverty
According to Booth, what percentage of London were living in extreme poverty and what percentage were being helped by the Poor Law?
Booth found that 35% of London were living in extreme poverty and 3% of that were being helped by the Poor Law
What is primary and secondary poverty?
Primary poverty is where a family lack the resources to buy basic resources (food) and secondary poverty was when the family could stay above the poverty line but spent their money on treats and escapism (alcohol and gambling)
How did Booth and Rowntree decide that poverty was a nationwide problem?
They figured that is a small “typical” English city like York had such problems, so would everywhere else
What impact did the liberal reforms have on life expectancy?
It increased from 30 to 46 for men and to 50 for women
What political party helped with poverty and when did they come into power?
The Liberals and David Lloyd George (PM) came into power in 1906
What were the 3 reasons for the liberal reforms?
Booth and Rowntree’s reports, The Boer War and political pressure from the Labour party forcing the Liberals to act
What did the Liberal Reforms introduce?
Free School Meals, Labour exchanges (job centres), old age pensions, sick pay, medical inspections for schoolkids and unemployment benefit through National Insurance
How did people react to National Insurance?
Some thought is was the beginning of a better era and some felt cheated as old people didn’t have to work for money like them
What was the Petit-Curie?
A mobile X-ray machine that could be brought to injured soldiers on the battlefield for a quick diagnosis. It Suffered the same issues as regular X-ray machines (overheating and taking a long time) and produced lower quality images
What were blood banks?
Dr. Richard Weil found that adding citrate glucose to blood allowed it to be stored for up to 4 weeks without it clotting. This meant that blood could be transported around a battlefield and transferred to save lives. Oswald Hope saved 20 Canadian soldiers with blood banks.
What was the Thomas Splint?
A stretcher that immobilised the patient, increasing the survival of injuries resulting in extruded bones from 20% to 82%
Who first discovered penicillin and why is he not remembered for it?
Joseph Lister - he only used it once
How did Fleming discover penicillin?
He was investigating streptococci and staphylococci bacteria that couldn’t be killed by chemical antisceptics. He left a petri dish and found that a mould had grown on it that had caused the nearby bacteria to disappear. He found that if he diluted the mould it could kill bacteria without damaging body cells.
