Illness and Disease

Question 1

Who experimented on alcohol and silkworms to prove that germs cause disease in 1850?

Answer 1

Pasteur experimented on alcohol and silkworms to prove germs cause disease.

Question 2

What scientific competition took place in 1860?

Answer 2

French Academy of Science held a competition to prove or disprove Spontaneous Generation.

Question 3

What major scientific theory did Pasteur publish in 1861?

Answer 3

The Germ Theory.

Question 4

What did Koch achieve in 1876?

Answer 4

Koch stained bacteria and discovered anthrax, the first microorganism discovered.

Question 5

What disease did Koch discover in 1878?

Answer 5

Septicaemia.

Question 6

What microorganisms did Koch discover?

Answer 6

Cholera, tuberculosis (TB), anthrax, and septicaemia.

Question 7

What was the limitation of disease understanding in the 1870s?

Answer 7

Although causes were understood, treatments were limited; Pasteur couldn’t explain why healthy people had microorganisms.

Question 8

What was the status of vaccines in 1870?

Answer 8

Limited understanding; some people vaccinated against smallpox.

Question 9

What vaccine did Pasteur create in 1879?

Answer 9

Chicken cholera vaccine.

Question 10

What vaccine did Pasteur create in 1881?

Answer 10

Anthrax vaccine.

Question 11

What vaccine did Pasteur create in 1882?

Answer 11

Rabies vaccine.

Question 12

What was the limitation of vaccines before the 1920s?

Answer 12

Most vaccines were used on animals until the 1920s.

Question 13

What was the state of cures in 1900 despite vaccines?

Answer 13

There were no cures for diseases like syphilis.

Question 14

What did Ehrlich and Behring discover about antibodies?

Answer 14

Chemicals could work with antibodies to target bacteria without harming the body.

Question 15

What was Salvarsan 606?

Answer 15

A ‘magic bullet’ drug created in 1909 that cured syphilis.

Question 16

What were the drawbacks of Salvarsan 606?

Answer 16

Resistance, limited use, dangerous side effects like liver damage, and professional opposition.

Question 17

What did Marie Curie isolate in 1902?

Answer 17

Radium.

Question 18

What did Marie Curie develop in 1911?

Answer 18

A means to measure radioactivity.

Question 19

What was the significance of the Radium Institute?

Answer 19

It paved the way for biological cancer research.

Question 20

What dangers of radiation were discovered later?

Answer 20

Radiation exposure caused sickness and was fatal—Marie Curie died from it.

Question 21

What medical advancement related to blood occurred during WW1?

Answer 21

Blood was successfully stored and transfusions became possible.

Question 22

What was first used as an anticoagulant in 1914?

Answer 22

Sodium citrate.

Question 23

What caused trench fever in WW1?

Answer 23

Contact with lice; flu-like symptoms.

Question 24

How was trench fever managed?

Answer 24

Delousing stations were set up.

Question 25

What caused dysentery in WW1?

Answer 25

Infected food/water or people; led to dehydration and death.

Question 26

How was water purified in WW1 to prevent dysentery?

Answer 26

Chloride was used.

Question 27

What did Lister and Sanderson observe in the 19th century?

Answer 27

Penicillium mould had healing properties.

Question 28

What did Fleming discover in 1928?

Answer 28

Mould killed staphylococci bacteria, even when diluted 800 times.

Question 29

What diseases was penicillin effective against?

Answer 29

Anthrax and diphtheria.

Question 30

What was a limitation of Fleming’s penicillin discovery?

Answer 30

He did little further research.

Question 31

What did Domagk discover in 1932?

Answer 31

Prontosil was effective against streptococcus; the first antibiotic drug.

Question 32

What were the limitations of sulpha drugs?

Answer 32

Side effects like liver damage; ineffective against serious bacteria.

Question 33

Who developed Fleming’s work further?

Answer 33

Florey and Chain.

Question 34

What happened in 1941 with penicillin?

Answer 34

Tested on Albert Alexander; it worked but he died when supply ran out.

Question 35

What major penicillin funding step occurred in 1942?

Answer 35

US government gave $80 million to four companies to mass-produce penicillin.

Question 36

When did mass production of penicillin begin?

Answer 36

1943

Question 37

What was the impact of penicillin in 1944?

Answer 37

Enough was available for all D-Day casualties.

Question 38

How was penicillin used by the US army in 1945?

Answer 38

Two million doses per month.

Question 39

Why was penicillin revolutionary?

Answer 39

It was effective against a wide range of previously deadly bacterial infections.