Understanding the Cause of Disease Flashcards
Front: What was the dominant natural explanation for disease in the Middle Ages and Renaissance?
Back: The Theory of the Four Humours, which stated that illness occurred when blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile were out of balance.
Front: What did doctors in the Middle Ages believe about miasma?
Back: They thought poisoned air (miasma) caused disease, as the smelliest parts of towns often had the most illness.
Front: How did people in the Middle Ages think disease could spread?
Back: Through contact with infected people, their belongings, or infected animals.
Front: What was a common supernatural explanation for disease in the Middle Ages?
Back: Many believed diseases were punishments from God for sinning.
Front: How did astrology relate to disease in the Middle Ages?
Back: Some believed diseases were caused by the position of the stars and planets.
Front: Who was the first scientist to suggest that germs caused disease?
Back: Louis Pasteur.
Front: How did Pasteur initially use a microscope in his research?
Back: To identify the germs causing wine to spoil and silkworms to die.
Front: What industries funded Pasteur’s early research and why?
Back: The French wine and silk industries funded him to solve problems affecting their products.
Front: What experiment did Pasteur conduct to prove the existence of germs?
Back: He demonstrated that germs were in the air and caused decay and disease.
Front: Why couldn’t Pasteur continue investigating the causes of human diseases?
Back: He suffered a stroke in the late 1860s.
Front: What was Robert Koch’s contribution to understanding disease?
Back: Koch used a microscope to identify specific bacteria that cause specific human diseases.
Front: What was the first bacteria identified by Robert Koch?
Back: Anthrax.
Front: What other diseases did Robert Koch identify bacteria for?
Back: Septicaemia (blood poisoning), cholera, and tuberculosis.
Front: How did Koch’s methods inspire other scientists?
Back: Other scientists used his techniques to identify bacteria for diseases like bubonic plague, meningitis, and yellow fever.
Front: Why did the German government fund Robert Koch’s work?
Back: To surpass Louis Pasteur and demonstrate German scientific superiority over France.
Front: What significant discovery did Crick and Watson make in 1953?
Back: They discovered the double-helix structure of DNA.
Front: What technology helped Crick and Watson discover DNA’s structure?
Back: X-ray photography.
Front: How has understanding DNA improved the study of disease?
Back: It has revealed how genetic mutations cause diseases and led to targeted treatments and early diagnosis.
Front: What is the significance of the drug Oltipraz?
Back: It protects a gene from liver cancer, particularly helping people in China where liver cancer is common due to mould on rice.
Front: What is genetic screening used for?
Back: To identify hereditary diseases early, allowing conditions like cystic fibrosis and haemophilia to be treated sooner.
Front: What was the Human Genome Project?
Back: A project between 1990 and 2003 that decoded all human genes, aiding the identification of genes linked to diseases.
Front: How has the Human Genome Project helped researchers?
Back: It has allowed scientists to identify genes that cause inherited diseases and cancers.
Front: What did the Theory of the Four Humours suggest about treating illness?
Back: Treatments often aimed to restore balance, such as bloodletting or purging.
Front: How did supernatural beliefs about disease influence medieval treatments?
Back: People prayed or performed religious rituals to seek forgiveness and cure illness.
Front: What has genetic research revealed about cancer?
Back: Damaged genes can lead to cancer, and some drugs can protect these genes to prevent the disease.
