Exam 3 Flashcards
(69 cards)
What were the key differences between physicians and surgeons in training and approach to disease?
Physicians were university trained, wrote in Latin, and focused on disease causes based on humoral doctrines and later views. They prescribed remedies to be ingested. Surgeons were trained by apprenticeship, favored the vernacular, and focused on local effects of disease. Some practitioners held both surgical and physician roles.
What were the major French medical reforms introduced in 1794?
During the revolutionary period in France, major reforms introduced common training for surgeons and physicians, along with clinical experience in hospitals. Hospitals in Paris became central to hospital medicine, leading to the rise of quantitative methods and transitioning hospitals from mixed institutions to exclusively medical centers.
How did hospitals contribute to clinical medicine in Paris?
Hospitals acted as medical observatories, enabling systematic autopsies and later, quantitative methods. They were also centers of clinical teaching where young practitioners received hands-on training.
Who was René Laennec, and what were his contributions to medicine?
René Laennec studied under Philippe Pinel & Jean Nicolas Corvisart, graduating in 1804 with a dissertation on the Hippocratic Corpus. He worked at Necker Hospital in Paris in 1816 and became a major figure in Paris hospital medicine.
What was François Broussais’ approach to medicine, and what was his main therapeutic tool?
François Broussais was a highly influential physician and surgeon who advocated bloodletting, especially using leeches, as a main treatment. During the 1832 Paris Cholera Epidemic, he imported 33 million leeches. He believed inflammation was the origin of disease.
: What did Pierre Louis contribute to medical practices, and how was his work received?
Pierre Louis pioneered the numerical method, comparing the effects of different medications and questioning the use of phlebotomy. His work was disputed by the medical establishment, which argued that individual cases were difficult to generalize.
What is cholera, and how was it historically understood?
Cholera is an ancient disease meaning “bile” from the four humors. The old disease “cholera morbus” was thought to be associated with excessive bile and symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps. Asiatic cholera, endemic to South Asia, spread to Europe and America in pandemics starting in 1817.
What were the symptoms and common treatments for Asiatic cholera?
Symptoms included vomiting, profuse diarrhea, dehydration, dark/dense blood, and blue-tinted skin. Common treatments included bloodletting, which was ineffective, and saline injections, which occasionally proved effective.
Who were some notable figures affected by the 1832 cholera epidemic?
Notable figures affected included Casimir Périer (French Prime Minister) and Georges Cuvier (Naturalist), both of whom were bled and died. Over 20,000 died in Paris alone.”
What was Jean Cruveilhier’s role during the cholera epidemic?
Jean Cruveilhier was the first chair of pathological anatomy in Paris. He dissected many cholera victims but found no typical lesions and continued to advocate bloodletting as treatment.
What was Thomas Shapter’s contribution to cholera research?
Thomas Shapter published History of the Cholera in Exeter in 1832 (1849), featuring a two-color epidemiological map of Exeter. He believed bad air, crowding, and proximity to rivers were key factors in the spread of cholera. His map inspired further epidemiological studies.
Who was John Snow and what were his contributions to medicine?
John Snow (1813-1858) was known for his work on Asiatic cholera and pioneering anesthesia with ether. He trained as a surgeon in 1838 and as a physician in 1844. He administered anesthesia to women during childbirth, countering religious arguments that childbirth pain was necessary.
What was John Snow’s theory about the cause of cholera?
Unlike most who believed cholera was caused by miasma (bad air), Snow hypothesized it was due to something ingested, like contaminated water, since the disease affected the intestines rather than the lungs.
How did John Snow prove his theory during the 1854 cholera outbreak?
Snow determined that contaminated water from the Broad Street pump in Soho, London, was the likely cause of the epidemic. He had the pump handle removed, and the epidemic subsided, although it was already diminishing.
What was the significance of the Broad Street pump discovery?
It demonstrated the importance of public health measures and provided compelling evidence that cholera was waterborne, despite the lack of microscopic evidence of the specific agent responsible.
How did William Farr contribute to Snow’s work?
: Farr, an epidemiologist and statistician, initially believed in the miasma theory but provided data that helped Snow map water companies’ supply in London. After Snow’s death, Farr accepted his theory of cholera as a waterborne disease.
What was John Simon’s contribution to public health?
John Simon established with greater confidence the link between cholera and water contaminated by human feces, leading to prioritization of drainage and sewage management.
When did the term ‘biology’ become established?
Although coined in the 18th century, the term ‘biology’ became established only in the 19th century, primarily referring to physiology rather than natural history.
What conceptual shift occurred in biology during the 19th century?
The focus shifted from organs to tissues and later to cells, with the realization that cells were the fundamental biological units.
Who was Xavier Bichat and what was his contribution to anatomy?
Xavier Bichat (1771-1802) was a French anatomist who identified 21 types of tissues and established tissues as more fundamental than organs in anatomy and pathology.
What advancements occurred in microscopy during the 19th century?
Techniques were publicly debated, improving clarity and accessibility. Carl Zeiss established industrial leadership by making better, cheaper microscopes for students.
Who were Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann?
Matthias Schleiden (1804-1881) was a botanist who proposed the first cell theory for plants. Theodor Schwann (1810-1882) extended this theory to animals, establishing that cells were the fundamental units of both plants and animals.
What was the early understanding of cell formation?
Schleiden and Schwann believed cells originated from a cytoblastema (a gelatinous substance) rather than from other cells, a theory later refuted by Rudolf Virchow, who argued that all cells arise from pre-existing cells.
Who was Robert Koch and what were his contributions?
Robert Koch (1843-1910) was a physician and bacteriologist who developed staining techniques, microphotography, and identified the tuberculosis bacillus in 1882.
