Medicine - A Revolution Flashcards
(32 cards)
Who first made the link between germs and disease?
Louis Pasteur.
Published his work in 1861.
What was Pasteur’s idea called and how did it challenge existing ideas?
Germ theory. It challenged the idea of spontaneous generation.
How did Robert Koch build on Pasteur’s theory?
Identified that specific bacteria were responsible for specific diseases.
What discoveries did Robert Koch make?
Identified bacteria that caused anthrax, cholera, and tuberculosis.
What did Lister develop and when did he first try this?
Use of carbolic acid as an antiseptic during surgery. First tried in 1865 on Jamie Greenlees.
What was the outcome of Lister’s first use of carbolic acid?
Saved Jamie Greenlees’ leg.
When did Lister publish his results?
1867.
What diseases did Pasteur develop vaccines for and when?
Chicken cholera (1879) and anthrax (1881).
What was the name of Britain’s first nurse training school set up by Florence Nightingale?
St Thomas’ Hospital.
What was the name of Mrs Beeton’s book that recommended opium in every household?
The Book of Household Management.
When was the General Medical Council established?
1858.
Who was the first female doctor?
Elizabeth Garrett.
By 1911, how many women were on the Medical Register in Britain?
495.
Who were the Edinburgh Seven?
The group of women who first studied medicine at Edinburgh University.
What did Robert Liston successfully do in 1846?
Amputated a leg using ether as an anaesthetic.
How did James Simpson improve surgery and when was this first used?
Used chloroform to reduce pain in childbirth. First used in 1847.
What had been used previously for anaesthesia?
Laughing gas (nitrous oxide) and ether.
What were the limitations of the previous anaesthetics?
Difficult to control dosage, flammable, made patients cough.
What reduced opposition to James Simpson’s development?
Queen Victoria used chloroform in 1853 during childbirth.
What is Gustav Neuber recognized for and when did he publish his results?
The first sterile operating theatre. Published results in 1886.
What kind of housing did many poor people occupy in towns and cities?
Back-to-back housing, crowded living conditions.
Why was cholera a problem?
In 1848, 60,000 people died; in 1854, 20,000 people died.
Who did the government appoint to investigate living conditions and health of the poor? When?
Edwin Chadwick, 1839.
What did Edwin Chadwick discover?
Highlighted need for cleaner streets. Showed poor weren’t to blame for bad housing and living conditions.
