revolution in medicine Flashcards
when was revolution in medicine
1775 - 1850
who created germ theory
louis Pasteur
what did louis Pasteur do
discovered germs made certain liquids go off
germs could be killed through heat
proved germs caused animal disease
influenced work of Robert Koch
couldn’t prove germs caused animal disease and many doctors refused to accept his works as couldn’t prove which germs caused which diseases
rivalry with Koch due to hatred of Germans and french
who was Robert Koch and what did he do
used new industrial dies stain individual germs.
found a way how to split germs into groups
photographed research to show his achievements. identified germ that caused tuberculosis (affects lungs) .
other scientists accepted his methods and soon germs causing different diseases where discovered.
who was Paul Ehrlich and what did he do
influenced by works of Pasteur Koch and Jenner. created chemical cure for syphilis with ‘magic bullet’. also inspired and helped enable future medicines.,
who was James Simpson and what did he do
created chloroform as a aesthetic.
queen Victoria used this anaesthetic in childbirth which brought a lot of attention.
religious people opposed as thought that childbirth pain was a pain sent by god
brief summary of antiseptics
a antiseptic is a substance that stops infection. joseph lister discovered carbolic acid was effective at stopping wounds from getting gangrene. many criticised as it slowed down operation and meant more blood loss.
what is aseptic surgery and what does it do
cleaning of medical instruments and started wearing sterilised gowns and clean clothes to reduce chances of infection.
key individuals in revolution in medicine
Joseph lister - creation of antiseptics
louis Pasteur - germ theory
Robert Koch - Pasteur’s rival and proved how germ affects human disease
Paul Erlich - cure for syphilis
John Snow - cholera
what happened to towns during the 19th century
many people moved to the cities for job opportunities causing a rapid growth in population meaning houses were made quickly with poor quality and towns became filthy
what were the 3 major problems for health during the 19th century
overcrowding and slums due to population growth, the great stink and cholera
why was overcrowding and slums a problem during the 19th century
the population grew from 11 million to 40 million, meaning houses needed to be built fast causing the uprising of slums which caused very small areas to have at least 1 family in - disease spread quickly. people worked long hours with low pay and health suffered from lack of sleep etc. old sewage systems couldn’t cope, filth was everywhere and factories caused bad air pollution.
what was the great stink and why was it a problem for public health
river Thames became slow soup of sewage due to lack of sewage systems. A hot summer caused water levels to drop, sewage was exposed causing an unbearable stench. Miasma was a strong belief and everyone was terrified of death.
what was cholera and how was it a problem for public health
a waterborne disease originated from India brought by trading ships and was caused by sewage getting into drinking water.
which problem was the most important during 19th century public health
overcrowding caused the other two problems``
who was John Snow and what did he do
Identified it was caused by dirty water as people at brewery who only drank beer didn’t fall ill, noticed people who drank from certain pumps fell ill which he demonstrated on a map, shut off the taps and noticed cess pit was leaking into drinking water. His discoveries were initially ignored until Pasteur proved his theory
who was Edwin Chadwick and what did he do
wrote a report saying disease was cause and worsened by filth and dirt and that poor people lived in overcrowded and poor quality housing causing bad smells and negatively impacting health
what was the 1848 public health act and how was it effective and ineffective
recommended councils to take control of health problems giving them power to raise taxes to appoint board of health, keep streets clean, improve water supply and sewerage and tackle infectious disease, e.g. cholera
only few councils did this as it was only recommended, step in right direction however
who was Joseph Bazalgate and what did he do
built modern sewage system carrying sewage away from London and made it big enough so that in the future if population grew more it could withstand more sewage
what was the 1875 public health act and what did it do
councils were now forced to increases taxes to appoint local health board, medical officer to ensure improvements were being made, provide and maintain safe water supply and sewers
soon later in the next year councils forcibly bought slum houses and destroyed them and replace with higher quality housing
