Topic 9 (18th/19th century) - Case studies Flashcards
During the 18th century, what disease overtook the plague as the major killer in England?
Smallpox
What were the two main symptoms of smallpox?
- high fever
2. sores full of pus all over the body
Even if a patient survived smallpox, what lasting effects was the disease likely to have?
It would often leave patients blind or disfigured
What observation had Edward Jnner made when he first developed his idea about vaccination for smallpox?
He had observed that milkmaids that suffered from a mild disease called cowpox, never caught smallpox
What test did Edward Jenner conduct to test his cowpox observations and what was the result?
He injected a young boy with cowpox, and then when he recovered, with smallpox. The boy survived the smallpox infection and he was proven to be immune to smallpox. (vaccination)
Despite jenners vaccine success, what two reasons did some doctors give against vaccination?
1- Some doctors didnt believe that a country doctor could come up with such an important discovery
2- Others could not accept new ideas as they had money invested in other techniques such as inoculation
How had Jenners methods of vaccination impact on Englands medicinal practice by 1853?
It had been so widely accepted that that it was made compulsory for infants
What were the limitations of Jenners discovery?
He had only found the cure for one disease, but there were still many other deadly diseases
What were the conditions like in Soho/london in 1854?
1- Growing/overcrowded population
2. Unsanitary conditions as drainage and sewage systems had not yet arrived in London
Describe the disease that appeared in the 19th century, cholera?
- A disease that infects the small intestine
- contracted through contaminated food and water
- Symptoms were diarrhoea, vomiting and death
Give two reasons why initial attempts to stop the spread of cholera in London were unsuccessful?
Because no one knew how cholera was spread. They thought that it was spread by miasma, and not by contaminated water
Who was John Snow and what ideas did he have about the spread of disease?
An english physician who was sceptical of the idea that miasma caused cholera
What did Snow conclude from his observations and how did he do so?
- people were contracting cholera from street pumps as there was a higher majority of sufferers living around one particular street pump
- He mapped out the people with the disease on the map and found a correlation, proving his theory must be correct
What were the two lasting impacts of Snow’s work on cholera?
- Snows work brought about stricter sewage control (public health act 1875)
- Led more people to believe that miasma wasnt the cause of cholera
