Pre-1848 Flashcards
What was the theory of the four humours
The four humours produced by the body were
1. Blood
2. Phlegm (flem)
3. Black bile
4. Yellow bile
Illness is caused by an imbalance of these humours, so treatments were based on the Theory of Opposites - the balance of humours could be restored by eating or drinking something with the opposite qualities e.g. phlegm is caused when you are wet and cold so a treatment would be a hot and dry food e.g. chilis
What was the theory of miasma
The theory that disease was caused by bad smells
What is spontaneous generation
Rotting material creates microorganisms
What were some factors that prevented developments in medicine (7)
- Attitudes - many doctors did not want to learn new methods as there was no proof that they were wrong
- Funding - the government did not feel responsibility, so hospitals were charity funded
- Technology - microscopes couldn’t see germs
- Religion - most people believed in a life after death so were not dissected, so understanding of the human body was primitive. Only bodies of criminals could be used
- Training
- Incorrect theories like miasma
- Lack of understanding
What pain relief was available before 1848
Opium, alcohol or being knocked unconscious
How was blood loss dealt with pre 1848
Tourniquets and closing of the artery
How many people died in the cholera epidemic of 1831-32
Approximately 20,000
What was the standard of living in Leeds in 1832 (4)
- Many streets were bare earth so they became muddy and filth collected in the mud
- Nineteen streets did not have a sewer
- Stagnant water was common
- In some poorer parts of town, human excrement was collected to sell to farmers
What was Edwin Chadwick involved with and what did he suggest
He was involved in workhouses. His suggestion was that tax money should be used to improve the housing and living conditions e.g. removing rubbish and sewage of the poor instead of spending it on workhouses for them to go to if they got too ill to work
What was the life expectancy in Liverpool and Rutland (countryside) in 1842, discovered by Chadwick in his report
Liverpool - 15 years!
Rutland - 38 years
What is the Lancet and when was it founded
A weekly medical journal founded in 1823
What is a magic bullet
A chemical treatment that kills specific bacteria in the body without harming the body
What was the first magic bullet, when was it discovered and what did it do
Salvarsan 606 - 1909 - killed the bacteria that caused syphilis
