Medicine Flashcards
(32 cards)
What is an apothecary?
A medieval and early modern medical practitioner who mixed and sold herbal remedies and medicines, often without formal training.
What is the role of an apothecary in the Middle Ages?
They prepared treatments from natural ingredients and sold them to the public, acting like early pharmacists.
What is Thomas Sydenham known for?
A 17th-century English physician who emphasised careful observation and experience in diagnosing and treating illness.
What is the significance of Thomas Sydenham?
He rejected relying on old texts and believed in studying the symptoms and nature of disease directly, known as the “English Hippocrates.”
What is the contribution of Andreas Vesalius?
A Renaissance anatomist who wrote The Fabric of the Human Body (1543), correcting many of Galen’s anatomical errors.
What is the significance of Vesalius’ work?
He advanced knowledge of human anatomy through dissections and challenged long-held beliefs based on animal dissections.
What is William Harvey known for?
A 17th-century English doctor who discovered the circulation of the blood and how the heart acts as a pump.
What is the significance of William Harvey’s discovery?
He disproved Galen’s theory that blood was made in the liver and consumed; instead, he proved blood circulates in a closed system.
What is Edward Jenner famous for?
He developed the first successful vaccine — for smallpox — in 1796 using material from cowpox sores.
What is the importance of Jenner’s vaccine?
It was the first time vaccination was used to prevent disease and led to global efforts to eradicate smallpox.
What is the Germ Theory?
A theory developed by Louis Pasteur in 1861 that proved microorganisms (germs) cause disease.
What is the significance of the Germ Theory?
It replaced the miasma theory and laid the foundation for modern microbiology and hygienic practices in medicine.
What is the contribution of Louis Pasteur?
He developed the Germ Theory, pasteurisation, and vaccines for diseases such as rabies and anthrax.
What is Joseph Lister known for?
A British surgeon who introduced antiseptic surgery using carbolic acid in the 1860s.
What is the impact of Lister’s antiseptic method?
He greatly reduced infection and death rates in surgery, transforming surgical practice.
What is James Simpson known for?
A 19th-century doctor who discovered chloroform as an effective anaesthetic in 1847.
What is the importance of chloroform in surgery?
It made pain-free operations possible, increasing the range and complexity of surgical procedures.
What is Florence Nightingale known for?
A nurse who improved hospital hygiene and nursing practices during the Crimean War in the 1850s.
What is the significance of Florence Nightingale’s work?
She reduced death rates, promoted cleanliness and professional nursing, and wrote Notes on Nursing.
What is Robert Koch known for?
A German scientist who identified specific bacteria that caused diseases such as TB, cholera, and anthrax.
What is the importance of Robert Koch’s discoveries?
He developed methods for staining and identifying bacteria, helping to prove Germ Theory and enabling targeted treatments.
What is Alexander Fleming known for?
He discovered the antibiotic properties of penicillin in 1928 after noticing mould killing bacteria.
What is the significance of Fleming’s discovery?
Penicillin became the world’s first widely used antibiotic, saving millions of lives — though it wasn’t mass-produced until WWII.
What is the contribution of Howard Florey and Ernst Chain?
They developed and mass-produced penicillin in the 1940s, making it available for widespread use during WWII.
