Medicine through time Flashcards
What is spontaneous generation?
(around 350 BC)
The idea that living organisms can spring into existence from non-living matter. Disproved by Pasteur in 1864.
What was Pasteur’s ‘Germ Theory’? (1861)
Bacteria are the cause of disease.
Germ theory states that specific microscopic organisms are the cause of specific diseases.
How did Pasteur prove that microbes were in the air?
He heated multiple liquids and left only one exposed to the air.
Who was Robert Koch?
(1876)
He proved Pasteur’s ‘Germ Theory’. He proved that specific microbes caused specific diseases, examining the blood of cows that had died of anthrax. Developed cure to TB.
What was the Black Death, how did it start?
(1346-52)
An epidemic of the Bubonic plague.
It started after a Crimean and Asian boat docked in Sicily holding disease-ridden rats.
How did people try to treat the Black Death? How many died in England?
Quarantining and keeping distance. Antiserum.
Between 30-40%, around 2,000,000
What was the scientific method?
Francis Bacon created the scientific method. The practice of experimenting, observing and creating a conclusion.
Who was Thomas Sydenham and what did he do?
(1676)
In ‘Observationes Medicae’, Sydenham released information about the differences between Scarlet Fever and The Measles.
What did Sydenham state about the causes of disease and how to treat them?
Sydenham wrote that diseases were caused by external factors. Diseases should be treated based on the disease as a whole and not on each individual symptom.
What was the Royal Society?
(1660)
The Royal Society was founded to bring together leading scientists and members of the public to bring about new ideas. Charles ll gave it a Royal Charter that assisted in it becoming extremely well respected among all members of society.
What did Andreas Vesalius do?
(1543 - ‘The Fabric of the Human Body)
Vesalius had people steal the bodies of hanged criminals and dissect them to gain a deeper insight into the human body. He employed people to draw out his discoveries for physicians to have an improved understanding and enhanced surgical techniques.
Who was William Harvey?
Harvey taught the importance of doctor’s observing and recording a patient’s symptoms rather than relying on old textbooks. He influenced Sydenham and proved Vesaluis’ theory.
What did Harvey discover about blood?
(1628)
Harvey discovered the process of blood circulation by researching Vesaluis’ theory that blood flowed towards the heart (which opposed Galen’s). Harvey discovered that arteries and veins were part of one system and that blood was pumped around the body by the heart.
What was Hippocrates’ ‘Theory of the Four Humours’?
Phlegm, Yellow Bile, Black Bile and Blood made up the human body. An imbalance of humours caused disease and illness.
What was Galen’s ‘Theory of Opposites’?
The theory stated the opposite of a humour should be applied if imbalanced. Galen gained his information by dissecting pigs and monkeys.
