Modern Things Flashcards
how did fleming discover the use of penicillin?
- saw many soldiers die of septic wounds caused by staphylococcal bacteria when he worked in army hopital during wwi
- 1922 discovered antiseptic lysozyme in tears, but it only worked on some germs
- noticed some bacteria he had left in a petri dish had been killed by naturally occurring penicillium mould
- 1928 found penicillium fungal spores
- 1929-31 published his findings in articles however he did not receive funding for further research
what was the significance/impact of alexander fleming?
- penicillin nicknamed the ‘wonder drug’
- 1945 fleming, florey and chain awarded nobel prize for medicine
- post-1945 was the era of the antibiotics
how did florey and chain build on fleming’s discovery?
- 1938-40 howard florey’s oxford team purified penicillin (as it is a natural substance)
- ernst chain (part of florey’s team) devised the freeze-drying technique
- didn’t have the resources to produce penicillin in large amounts but made the penicillin for the 1st clinical trial by growing penicillium notatum in every container in lab - patient began to recover but died when it ran out
how did america impact the development of penicillin?
- british chemical firms were too busy making explosives so florey brought penicillin to usa
- 1941 usa joined the war & by december the gvt gave out grants to businesses which manufactured penicillin
- 1943 uk businesses started mass-producing penicillin
- 1944 mass production was sufficient for military medical needs
- US soldiers injured at D-Day (6 june 1944) were all given penicillin to reduce the risk of infection.
- post-war the cost fell and it became more accessible for general use and other antibiotics were discovered
what was the significance/impact of howard florey and ernst chain?
- helped in mass production and bringing it to the market
- doctors could effectively cure acute disease
- paved the way for the era of antibiotics
how did evacuation in wwii impact ideas around health?
- in wwii 3 million children were moved to countryside, so they were safe from the bombing of towns and cities.
- Many people in rural areas were shocked at the levels of poverty they witnessed in some of the evacuated urban children.
- lead to support for social reform & a commitment to help families in need of assistance
how did wwi impact process of amputation and prosthetics?
- thousands of soldiers had limbs amputated
- A company in London that made industrial & electric tools began to manufacture a new prosthetic leg made of metal which was lighter & easier to manoeuvre.
who was James Edward Hanger?
- became an amputee during American Civil War.
- his prosthetic limb was ill-fitting & painful so using his engineering experience, he designed a new one that was able to bend at the knee & the ankle, & was better-fitting.
- state gvt commissioned him to manufacture improved prosthetic limbs for other wounded soldiers.
- travelled to Europe to observe the effects of trench warfare so he could design better prosthetics & due to his trip, Hanger’s newly established company received contracts with both England & France during & after WWI to supply artificial limbs to Allied soldiers.
what was plastic surgery like pre-wwi?
french and german doctors worked on skin graft techniques
who was Harold Gillies?
- New Zealand doctor who joined the army as a surgeon with the British army in wwi & initially worked on the front line
- 1917 set up a ward at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup, in London, to treat patients with facial injuries.
- reconstructed facial injuries so patients could have a more normal appearance
- kept detailed records
- pioneered new skin graft techniques (eg moved a patch of skin on the face, called a pedicle. He left the veins attached to it, so it still had a blood supply and could successfully be attached to a different part of the face.)
who was Francis Derwent Wood?
- WWI
- sculptor who worked in hospitals in England treating injured soldiers.
- designed & made lifelike facial masks for soldiers who had suffered severe facial injuries to help them regain confidence, support their mental health & aid their reintegration into normal life.
who was Archibald McIndoe?
- WWII
- worked with soldiers who had suffered severe facial injuries, especially from burns - treated the physical injuries & supported soldiers who had difficulties with their mental health as a result of severe disfigurement from physical injuries.
- his patients formed a support network known as the Guinea Pig Club which organised social events & helped recovering soldiers adapt to civilian life & learn to live with their injuries (The club became well known and was visited by Winston Churchill.)
how were x-rays used in wwi?
used from the start of wwi to find broken bones however the equipment they used was unreliable and fragile (glass tubes) and often stopped working
what did william coolidge do?
invented the ‘coolidge tube’ (more reliable) which was widely used by the end of the war and still is today
who discovered x-rays?
wilhelm rontgen
what did marie curie do?
- 1914 developed mobile x ray units to allow doctors to transport x ray equipment→200 X-ray units into field hospitals along with 20 mobile X-ray vehicles, which the French troops nicknamed ‘petites Curies’
- surgery was better planned and safer
who discovered blood groups?
Karl Landsteiner - led to more successful blood transfusions
how were blood transfusions developed during wwi?
- in 1914 sodium citrate was discovered to stop blood clotting so it could be stored
- 1946 British National Blood Transfusion Service established
who was Charles Drew?
- WWII
- American surgeon who came up with new methods to store and transport blood
- was put in charge of a campaign called Blood for Britain which involved US civilians donating blood, which was transported to Britain using Drew’s techniques and it was then used to treat injured British civilians and soldiers in blood transfusions.
at end of wwi lloyd george promised to tackle poor housing. how did he attempt this?
- ‘homes fit for heroes’
- some new council houses built in 20s and 30s but many were still too expensive for poorest families who still lived in slums
from 1945-51, how many new homes did labour build?
800,000
what was the 1946 New Towns Act?
- established an ambitious programme for building new towns & gave the gvt power to designate areas of land for new town development
- Stevenage, in Hertfordshire, was the first new town created under the Act, with 10 others following by 1955
- Most intended to accommodate the overspill of population from London.
- Since the 1950s, Parliament has authorised further developments in England, Scotland and Wales.
in the 50s and 60s, how many slums were demolished and how many people were rehomed?
gvts demolished over 900,000 slums and about 2 million inhabitants were rehoused
what did the 1961 report ‘homes for today and tomorrow’ say?
set specific standards for housing ie adequate heating, flushing toilet, enough space
what were the main reasons for the liberal reforms?
- in 1900 slums & overcrowde
- housing were common, people worked long hours for low wages, they couldnt afford doctors or medicine and barely food, there was no unemployment benefits or pensions - only workhouse - but the evacuation of children to the countryside in wwii resulted in pressure to improve health care provision for people who lived in poverty.
- 1867 Reform Act
- Charles Booth and seebhom rowntree
- boer war
what did the 1867 Reform Act do?
had given the vote to more working-class men
how did the 1867 Reform Act lead to the liberal reforms?
- In 1900 general election, Labour Party entered candidates for the first time & won 2seats in Parliament
- In 1906, they increased the number of seats to 29.
- Liberal Party won the election in 1906 but wanted to ensure the Labour Party didn’t gain more seats in the future so Liberal Party saw their own reforms as a way of maintaining the support of working-class voters.
what report did Charles Booth write?
1889 ‘Life and Labour of the People in London’
