The 19th Century Flashcards
What did Louis Pasteur discovered with microscopes?
That specific micro-organisms caused things like wine to go off
When heated microorganisms died - pasteurising
What did Pasteur do in 1864?
Proved that micro-organisms didn’t spontaneously appear (spontaneous generation)
Proved germs in the air by using sterile and unsterile flasks both with water in, the unsterile flask bred microbes again but the sterile flask did not.
What did Pasteur do in 1861?
Published his ‘Germ Theory’
Based on idea that microorganisms cause disease.
Who developed on Pasteur ideas?
Robert Koch
What did Koch do?
Developed method to identify specific microbes that caused specific diseases by using dyes.
Discovered bacterium causing anthrax and tuberculosis.
What happened that encouraged competition between Pasteur and Koch?
1870-71 war between France and Germany
What were the cause of disease and infection in the 19th century?
Bad air/miasma - rooting food gives terrible smells
Bacteria - studied rooting food, automatically generated, due to microscope
What were the problems with public health in the 19th century?
Overcrowding Living close together - no ventilation Poor sanitation - share, contaminated facilities Lack of clean water- cholera Poverty- slums, no medicine, dangerous jobs Damp and cold houses Animals roaming Doctors poorly trained
Why was nothing done to improve public health in the first half of the 19th century?
- lack of understanding about germs causing disease
- laissez-faire government: people believed it was not their job to keep people healthy and they shouldn’t interfere with people’s lives
Why was there opposition to public health in the 19th century?
Government had to provide so taxes were raised
When did cholera reach Britain?
1831
What did John Snow do?
1854 proved link between cholera and water supply
Removed handle from water pump, stopped deaths, put pressure on water companies to clean their water supplies
What did Edwin Chadwick do?
1842- report on the sanitary conditions of the labouring classes/ people living in towns had shorter life Said should: - organisms drainage and collection - provide pure water supply - appoint medical officer of health
What did the 1848 public health act do?
Allowed boards of health to be set up
Encouraged reforms
Not compulsory
Abolished in 1854 due to laissez faire
What did William Farr do?
Made a link between poverty and I’ll health
What did Octavia Hill do?
Teach the poor
Clean slum housing
Improved housing
When did working men in towns get the right to vote?
1867
When did working men in the country get to vote?
1884
What was the great stink of 1858 and what did it lead to
Hot weather caused a ‘great stink’
Smelt most right under Parliaments nose, forced them to do something
Joseph Bazalgette hired to designed London’s new sewage systems.
What was the public health act of 1875?
Cleanliness compulsory in towns Clean water Education compulsory Shortened working hours in factories Public toilets Inspectors Enforced reform
What happened to Pasteur by chance?
Containers of bacillus left on a shelf over a summer - birds didn’t die when injected
Worked with human vaccines - rabies vaccine in 1885
What did Pasteur develop by chance?
Effective vaccine against chicken cholera
Accidentally gave an old weak dose of cholera to chickens, so did not die
What was surgery like in the 1800s?
Dangerous
Painful
Infection was common
Describe the problems surgeons faced.
Patients in pain
Infection
Bleeding
How was the problem of pain overcome by use of anaesthetics?
Nitrous oxide / laughing gas:
- discovered by Sir Humphry Davy 1799
- never widely used and never completely effective
- Horace Wells convinced on it, used in public demonstration but public was in agony
Ether:
- discovered by John Warren in 1846
- unpleasant side affects, irritated eyes and lungs, causing coughing and sickness
- flammable and had vile smell
Chloroform:
- discovered by James Simpson 1847
- was experimenting to find anaesthetics, all knocked out by chloroform
- effective anaesthetic
What were some of the reasons of opposition to anaesthetics?
- uncomfortable for patients
- some doctors believed pain was good for healing
- didn’t understand how they worked
- didn’t understand side affects
How was the problem of infection overcome?
Ignaz Semmelweiss - called for all doctors to was hands before entering maternity ward without exception
Carbolic acid - spray used to disinfect wound area, first antiseptic 1867
What was the opposition to carbolic acid spray?
- slowed down surgery
- uncomfortable for doctors, irritated skin
- surgeons didn’t copy listers methods correctly and were disappointed with results
- seemed very extreme
What is aseptic surgery?
Removing all possible germs from the operating theatre and taking all effort to do so.
What factors helped contribute to the development of surgery over time? (1d)
Key individuals
Technology
War
What factors helped the development of public health over time? (1d)
Government
Key Individuals
War
What factors helped the development of disease and infection over time? (1d)
Key individuals
Chance
War
Government
