Causes of illness and disease - Chap 1

Question 1

Medieval era

What challenges led to disease and illness in the medieval era?

Answer 1

• poverty and malnutrition
• famine
• war
• poor everyday life

Question 2

Medieval era

Describe how poverty and malnutrition led to diseases+illnesses?

Answer 2

• many people struggled to afford to eat a healthy diet
• most people were peasants who relied on the crops they grew and their few animals to survive
• estimated that 20% of families living in the countryside had enough land to grow food for themselves, but the rest did not

Question 3

Medieval era

What did a bad harvest mean?

Answer 3

• make food more scarce and more expensive - made people even more prone to disease
• Children were vulnerable - estimated that 30% died before the age of 7

Question 4

Medieval era

What is famine, why was it a threat?

Answer 4

• extreme scarcity of food
• most people only had just enough food to survive under normal circumstances

Question 5

Medieval era

What are some examples of famines?

Answer 5

Great Famine - 1315-17:
* 10% of Britain’s population died
* People often had to eat all their animals and the following year’s seed - created problems in future years

1069-70:
* Normans destroyed farms in the north east of England as a punishment for rebellion
* estimated that 100,000 people died from starvation as a result

Question 6

Medieval era

How did war lead to disease or illness?

Answer 6

• ever-present part of life
• English monarchs frequently fought wars against enemies at home and abroad
• Battles were often fought at close range and brutal
• At the Battle of Towton in 1461 believed that 28,000 people died - 1% of the population
• Armies also lived off the land, taking food from peasants and burning their houses and fields

Question 7

Medieval era

What aspects of everday life could lead to injury and illness?

Answer 7

• Wooden buildings made fire a major hazard
• Contaminated food caused many deaths
• Street accidents involving carts or animals were common
• Accidents at work were also common
• Childbirth was one of the most serious threats to women’s health

Question 8

Medieval era

What were the features of towns that made them so unhealthy?

Answer 8

Streets:
* The upper storeys of houses jutted out into the street - limiting light and the circulation of air
* no sewers - household waste was thrown into the streets
* large numbers of animals in towns, so there was a lot of manure left to rot - attracted flies and vermin, which could spread disease

Houses:
* damp - meant mould could grow
* smoke from fires filled houses, causing respiratory problems
* Clean water for washing was hard to find, so most people smelled and were dirty

Towns:
* many people lived so close together
* few regulations about building or waste disposal

Question 9

Medieval era

What did people believe caused disease?

Answer 9

God - believed God might send them an illness as punishment
The supernatural - People in medieval times were afraid of being cursed by witches or being made ill by evil spirits or demons
Bad smells - Towns smelled very bad because of issues with sanitation as well as the filth caused by people living close to their animals
The four humours - believed illness was caused by an imbalance between fou

Question 10

Medieval era

What was the Black death, how many deaths did it cause?

Answer 10

serious disease
around half of Britains population

Question 11

Medieval era

What year did the black death arrive in England, and then Wales?

Answer 11

1348…
spread to Wales by 1349

Question 12

Medieval era

Why was the Black death so threatening?

Answer 12

the disease was very painful and it affected rich and poor people alike

Question 13

Medieval era

What were the 2 types of plagues?

Answer 13

Bubonic plague - mainly spread by fleas carried by rats
Pneumonic plague - attacked the victim’s lungs and was spread by personal contact

Question 14

Medieval era

What was the extent of change during medieval era?

Answer 14

limited
did not know the link between disease and germs - instead believed in theories

Question 15

Early Modern

What was the Great plague?

Answer 15

bubonic plague - 1665
* worst outbreak for over 300 years
* claimed around 65,000 victims

Question 16

Early Modern

What did people believe caused the plague?

Answer 16

variety of causes eg.
* the position of the planets, comets
* miasma
* sinful behaviour
* doctors had no real idea about what caused the plague

Question 17

Early Modern

What was the extent of change during the early modern?

Answer 17

some
* the authorities did try to stop the plague spreading
* However, doctors had no real idea about what caused the plague - only the onset of winter that brought it to an end

Question 18

Industrial era

What was the effects of the industrial revolution?

Answer 18

• rapid growth in population
• huge movement of people from rural areas to industrial towns

Question 19

Industrial era

What are some examples of Industrial towns?

Answer 19

• Glasgow
• Manchester
• Birmingham
• Sheffield

Question 20

Industrial era

What was public health like in the industrial towns?

Answer 20

• Squalid living conditions meant that outbreaks of disease were common
• Tenements were overcrowded, large families lived in cramped conditions
• Sewage contaminated drinking water, which led to outbreaks of cholera and typhoid - people did not know infected water spread cholera germs

tenement - type of building shared by multiple dwellings

Question 21

Industrial era

What did people STILL think caused disease in the industrial era?

Answer 21

• miasma
• terrible smells

Question 22

Industrial era

What is cholera, when did it first arrive in England?

Answer 22

• bacterial infection spread through contaminated food or water
• 1831 - arriving by boat from India causing widespread fear

Question 23

Industrial era

How many outbreaks were there of cholera, when, how many deaths?

Answer 23

3:
* 1831-32 - 50,000 deaths
1848 - 52,000 deaths**
* 1854 - 23,000 deaths

Question 24

Industrial era

Who discovered the cause of cholera, where and when?

Answer 24

Dr John Snow proved that cholera was a waterborne disease after his study of the Broad Street Pump in London in 1854

Question 25

# Industrial era What is **Typhoid**, was it worst than **Cholera?**

Answer 25

* **Bacterial infection** spread through contaminated food and water * Caused by **poor sanitation** and **lack of hygiene** * Develops **slower** than cholera but can still be **fatal**

Question 26

# Industrial era What was **typhoid** like?

Answer 26

**Widespread** between the **1830s** and **1860s**, especially among the poor **London** - 16,000 cases per year | 18.. not 19...

Question 27

# Industrial era How was **typhoid controlled?**

Answer 27

**1884** - the **typhus bacillus** bacterium was identified **Improved** sanitation, hygiene, and public health measures reduced cases **Public Health Acts**, better hygiene, and vaccinations helped combat disease

Question 28

# Industrial era What was the **extent of change** during the **Industrial era?**

Answer 28

**Vast - turning point** **Government Action** - Public Health Acts 1848 & 1875 **Scientific Discoveries** - Dr. John Snow + typhus bacillus bacterium

Question 29

# 20th century Why did **bacterial** and **viral diseases** **continue** to **spread?**

Answer 29

* increased travel between countries * migration * two world wars

Question 30

# 20th century What was the **Spanish Flu** and **when** did it occur?

Answer 30

deadly bird flu pandemic **1918–1919**

Question 31

# 20th century How **widespread** was the **Spanish Flu** globally?

Answer 31

infected **20%** of the world’s population - caused up to **40 million deaths**

Question 32

# 20th century **Why** was it called the **Spanish Flu?**

Answer 32

**Spain** reported around **7 million deaths** - drawing major **attention** to the outbreak

Question 33

# 20th century How did **WWI** contribute to the **spread** of the **Spanish Flu?**

Answer 33

**Returning troops** carried the virus, **spreading** it quickly among **civilians**

Question 34

# 20th century What was the **impact** of the **Spanish Flu** on the **UK** and **healthcare systems?**

Answer 34

* killed **280,000** in the UK * hospitals were **overwhelmed** * it could kill within **a day**

Question 35

# 20th century What is **Tuberculosis (TB),** how is it spread, and what was it once **called?**

Answer 35

* **infectious disease** spread by coughs or sneezes * known as **“consumption”** because sufferers gradually **lost weight**

Question 36

# 20th century What were the **historical conditions** associated with the **spread of TB?**

Answer 36

**Poor housing** and **unhealthy working** conditions helped **TB** spread widely

Question 37

# 20th century How was **TB treated** in the **past**, and what role did **‘fresh air’** play?

Answer 37

‘Fresh air’ was believed to be a **cure**... **isolation hospitals** were set up in the countryside to help **prevent spread** and **aid recovery**

Question 38

# 20th century How did **TB decline** by the **1950s,** and why is it still a **threat today?**

Answer 38

* **Vaccination** and **better sanitation** reduced cases by the **1950s** * but **drug-resistant** strains re-emerged in the **1980s** especially among the **homeless**

Question 39

# 20th century **When** and **where** were the **first** **AIDS** cases reported?

Answer 39

* 1981 * USA

Question 40

# 20th century How is the **HIV/AIDS** virus **transmitted?**

Answer 40

Through **blood** or **body fluids** mainly via **sexual contact** or **sharing injection needles** with an **infected person**

Question 41

# 20th century What does **HIV** do to the body, and how does **AIDS cause death?**

Answer 41

* **HIV** destroys the **immune system** * people with AIDS die from **other infections** their body can **no longer fight**

Question 42

# 20th century How **widespread** was **AIDS by 2000**, and **which area** was worst affected?

Answer 42

* Around **30 million** were infected and over **8 million** had **died by 2000** * **Africa**

Question 43

# 20th century/modern Why is **cancer** **more common today?**

Answer 43

People are **living longer**, making them more likely to develop cancer **UK** - 1 in 3 people will be affected at some point

Question 44

# 20th century/modern Which **major health issues** have increased due to **modern lifestyle changes?**

Answer 44

**Obesity, diabetes**, and **certain cancers** - largely due to **smoking**, **alcohol**, and **poor diet**