⭐️ Medicine others Flashcards
(15 cards)
What was the Black Death (1348) and how did people respond to it?
A deadly plague killing up to half of England’s population. People blamed miasma and sin. Common responses included prayers, flagellants, and burning aromatic herbs.
How was the Great Plague (1665) similar and different to the Black Death?
Still blamed on miasma and God, but authorities quarantined houses, killed stray animals, and shut theatres — showing improved public health response.
What was the Great Stink (1858) and why was it important?
Sewage overflowed into the Thames, causing a horrendous smell. It forced Parliament to fund Joseph Bazalgette’s modern sewer system.
What did the 1848 Public Health Act do?
It encouraged local councils to improve water and sewage systems, but wasn’t compulsory. Often ignored due to cost and lack of urgency.
How was the 1875 Public Health Act different from 1848?
It made improvements like clean water, sewers, and street cleaning compulsory — a major step toward modern public health.
How did John Snow help improve public health?
He mapped cholera deaths and linked them to a contaminated water pump (1854). Though germ theory wasn’t known yet, his work was vital evidence.
What did Edwin Chadwick’s 1842 report show?
That poverty and disease were linked to poor living conditions. He recommended sewers and clean water, which led to early health reforms.
How did hospitals change in the Middle Ages?
Monastery-run, they focused on care not cure. Religious and spiritual healing was central, with minimal medical treatment.
What impact did Florence Nightingale have on hospitals?
She reduced hospital death rates in the Crimean War through hygiene and ventilation, and set new standards with nurse training and hospital design.
What was the significance of the Beveridge Report (1942)?
It proposed fighting the “Five Giants” (e.g. Disease, Want). It became the basis for the Welfare State and the NHS.
When and why was the NHS founded?
In 1948 by Aneurin Bevan. It aimed to provide free healthcare at the point of use for all, funded by taxes.
How did war influence medical progress?
Wars increased urgency for new treatments like antiseptics, blood transfusions, and plastic surgery, especially during World Wars.
What role did science play in improving medicine?
Germ theory, vaccines, microscopes, and DNA all came from scientific discoveries that changed how disease was understood and treated.
How did technology improve public health?
Microscopes helped identify microbes; sewers reduced cholera; anaesthetics and antiseptics made surgery safer; penicillin was mass-produced during WWII.
What was the long-term impact of germ theory?
It replaced miasma and led to modern hygiene, vaccines, antiseptics, and better understanding of infectious diseases.
