Modern Medicine Flashcards
What did people in the 20th Century think caused disease?
Education means people are much more aware of the real causes of disease, Watson and Crick discovered the structure of DNA in 1962 which revolutionised the understanding of hereditary diseases.
Who treated disease in the 20th Century?
Both male and female doctors. Doctors begin to work in teams and most people have a family doctor (local GP) after the introduction of the NHS in 1948.
How was disease treated in the 20th Century?
1910 Paul Ehrlich - Previously worked as part of Koch’s team and was inspired to find a ‘magic bullet’. His experiments with arsenic compounds led to the discovery of Salvarsan 606 which killed syphilis bacteria.
1928 Alexander Fleming - Discovered Penicillin by chance. He wrote a report on it’s properties but was unable to take it any further.
1932 Gerhard Domagk - Discovered that a coal tar dye (a sulphonamide called prontosil) cured blood poisoning. Other sulphonamides were discovered which could cure pneumonia and meningitis.
1943 Florey and Chain - Tested Penicillin’s effectiveness on mice and men (although the first patient died after running out of penicillin). After the US introduction into the WW2 in 1941, they gave $80m to Florey and Chain and drug company Pfizer to mass produce penicillin.
What surgery could they perform in the 20th Century?
Surgeons pioneered skin grafts during WW1 and plastic surgery developed during WW2 due to burns on airmen. William Roentgen developed the X-Ray machine in 1891 which improved the success-rate of surgery as bullets and shrapnel was more easily detected.
Transplant surgery was developed. The first kidney transplant was in 1952. Christiaan Barnard performed the first heart transplant in 1967.
What anatomical knowledge did they have in the 20th Century?
CAT scanners improved anatomical knowledge even further during the 20th Century.
Could surgeons in the 20th Century control pain, bleeding and infection?
Pain - Surgeons used intravenous anaesthetics which were more accurate and surgeons specialised in this area (anaesthetists).
Bleeding - The problem of bleeding was finally overcome. Karl Landsteiner discovered blood groups in 1900 which allowed successful blood transfusions. WW1 improved storage of blood using sodium citrate.
Infection - Antiseptic surgery (carbolic spray etc.) developed into aseptic surgery using sterile operating theatres, rubber gloves etc. Penicillin and antibiotics helped with post-surgical infections.
What was Public Health like in the 20th Century?
The Boer war (38% of recruits were unfit to be soldiers)and WW1 highlighted that there were still significant public health issues.
The social liberal reforms provided compulsory training for midwives (1902) free school meals for poor children (1906) an old age pension (1908), banned back-to-back houses and introduced the National Insurance Act (1911).
WW1 and WW2 led to improvement. ‘Homes for Heroes’ were built after WW1 and WW2 led to a healthier diet (rationing), highlighted inner-city poverty (evacuation) and led to the NHS (William Beveridge suggested cradle to grave healthcare as the current system could not cope with the civilian casualties of WW2). Bevan introduced the NHS overcoming opposition from doctors.
What factors affected Medicine in the 20th Century?
Individuals - Ehrlich and magic bullets (1905), Fleming discovers Penicillin (1928), Florey & Chain mass produce Penicillin (1943).
Science & Technology - X-Rays led to improved success rate in surgery. Scientific methodology was used to create the first magic bullet. Oxygenated tanks were used by Pfizer to mass produce penicillin.
War - WW1 led to improvements in S&A with use of X-rays and blood banks. It led to improvements in PH with Homes for Heroes programme. WW2 led to improvements in S&A with development of plastic surgery and improvements in PH with introduction of the NHS.
Government - The government became more involved in public health (Social Liberal reforms 1902-14 and NHS). They also funded breakthroughs in D&I such as the mass production of Penicillin.
