C1700-C1900 18th and 19th century

Question 1

Who was Florence Nightingale and how was she was significant?

Answer 1

Florence Nightingale was a significant in influencing improvements in hospital care.
. During the time period, nursing wasn’t seen as a respectable job for women.
. She believed the miasma theory caused disease, so emphasised hygiene, fresh air and training for nurses.

Question 2

What were some changes in hospital care during this the period?

Answer 2

. New hospitals financed by charities, opended during the 19th century and were used to look after the sick.
. Middle and upper classes could afford doctors to treat them at home.

Question 3

Who was Florence Nightingale?

Answer 3

.She was a women in the 18th century who improved the cleanliness of hospitals.
. She believed that the miasma theory caused disease so emphasised hygiene, fresh air and good supplies and training for nurses.

Question 4

What did Florence Nightingale to show her ideas regarding hosptial care?

Answer 4

. Her work was widely reported in the newspapers in Britain and published books on nursing and hospital organisation.

Question 5

What was Florence Nightingale asked to lead?

Answer 5

. She was asked to lead a team of nurses at military hospital in Scutari during the Crimean war. (1854-56)

Question 6

What were the three main problems with surgery?

Answer 6

Blood loss. pain and infection.

Question 7

What was used before 1800 in operations to ease pain?

Answer 7

Alcohol and opium has was used but had little sucess in easing pain during operations.

Question 8

What was used in 1844 in dentistry to ease pain?

Answer 8

Laughing gas was used in dentistry in the USA but failed to ease all pain and patients remained conscious.

Question 9

What was used from 1846 to ease pain during operations?

Answer 9

Ether was used from 1946 made patients totally unconcious and lasted a long time.
However, it could make patients cough during operations and sick afterwards.
It was highly flammable and was transported in heavy glass bottles.

Question 10

What was used from 1847 to ease pain during operations?

Answer 10

.Chloroform (discovered by James Simpson) was used from 1847 was very effective with few side effect.

.However, it was hard to get the dose right and could kill some people because of the effect on their heart.

Question 11

What was the first local anasthetic in 1884?

Answer 11

. Cocaine was the first local anaesthetic.

. In 1905 a less addictive version, novocaine was used as a general anaesthetic.

Question 12

What was Joseph Lister’s role in medicine?

Answer 12

.In 1864, Lister reads Pasteur’s Germ Theory and learns that carbolic acid kills parasites in sewage.
. In 1865, Lister soaks bandages in carbolic acid to avoid wounds getting infected.

Question 13

Why were some people opposed to the long-term effects of using anaesthetics?

Answer 13

. People worried that the long term effects of using anasthetics and thought that being unconscious made patients more likely to die.
. Also, it took a long time for doctors and surgeons to believe in the Germ Theory and therefore accept Lister’s discoveries.

Question 14

Why were some religious people opposed to the use of anaesthetics?

Answer 14

. The Victorians were very religious and thought that god inflicted pain for a reason, so it was wrong to interfere with his plan.

Question 15

What was the positive impact of anaesthetics and antiseptics?

Answer 15

.Surgery became pain free and patients didn’t struggle so surgeons could take more time and be more careful.
. Deeper complex surgery became possible and the death rate dramatically decreased as surgery was more successful and infection was reduced.

Question 16

What did the government begin to do in terms of prevention of disease in the 19th century?

Answer 16

. The government began to play more of a role in public health and increased prevention rates by reducing the conditions that fostered disease.

Question 17

What were the reasons for the 1875 Public Health Act?

Answer 17

Previously, the government did not believe it was its role to improve living conditions. However, by 1975, people recognised that it was the government’s responsibility to improve living conditions in the cities.
. Also, the increasing number of men influenced politicians.

Question 18

Why did the government’s role in improving living conditions change?

Answer 18

This was because during the 19th century, the attitude of the government began to change due to several epidemics especially Cholera, and the increasing scientific evidence that these diseases were caused by poor living conditions.

Question 19

What were the things the Public Health Act have to provide?

Answer 19

. Clean water
. Sewers
. Public toilets
. Street lighting
. Public parks
.As well as: Inspecting lodging houses for cleanliness.
Monitor the building of new houses to prevent damp and overcrowding.
.Checking the quality of food sold in shops as well as employing a public officer of health to monitor disease.

Question 20

What was the deadly smallpox virus?

Answer 20

Smallpox was a disease that killed more children than any other disease. Thousands of adults died too, and the disease spread quickly and easily from person to person.

Question 21

Who was Edward Jenner and why was he relevant in the development of medicine?

Answer 21

.Edward Jenner was born in 1749 and trained in London as a surgeon.
. He was relevant as he made the link between smallpox and cowpox and was able to create a vaccination which saved lives.

Question 22

What did Jenner’s work prove?

Answer 22

Jenner’s work proved that scientific methods could lead to a disease being wiped out.

Question 23

Why did people oppose Jenner?

Answer 23

. People thought it was wrong to give people an animal’s disease.
. It interfered with God’s plan
. Doctors lost money when the government offered vaccinations for free
. Some doctors didn’t vaccinate people properly so it didn’t work.

Question 24

What were some attempts people made to try and prevent the spread of cholera?

Answer 24

Most people, including the government believed that Cholera was caused by miasma and spontaneous generation.
. Therefore, people tried to keep their homes as clean as possible. The Public Health Act of 1848 suggested that cities should provide clean water supplies but the Act was not compulsory so few complied.

Question 25

What is now known about cholera?

Answer 25

. It mostly affected the poorest, slum areas of cities, although wealthier parts were affected too.
. It causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting leading to dehydration.
. In the early 19th century there was no treatment and most people who caught it died.

Question 26

Why was John Snow’s work significant?

Answer 26

. Many cholera deaths in Soho were prevented after snow stopped people using the Broad Street pump.