Medicine Topic 1 - Understanding and Treatment Flashcards
(13 cards)
Problems in 1848
Miasma and spontaneous generation theories popular - incorrect
Microscopes weren’t well developed and those that existed weren’t strong
Pasteur and Germ Theory (1850-60)
1850’s - Pasteur experimented with milk, vinegar and alcohol to prove that germs (micro-rganisms in the air) caused disease
1860 - he disproved spontaneous generation at a competition organised by the french academy of science
However his opinions were initially refused and ridiculed
Pasteur and Germ theory 1860-80
1861 - pasteur published his findings
1865 - silkworm experiments linked micro-organisms to disease in animals
1878 - Published germ theory and its appliance to medicine
His work led to developments in vaccines (that could kill these micro-organisms) and surgery as people now understood why infections developed after surgery
However he hadn’t developed any specific bacteria so not much actually changed
Koch and Bacteriology 1870-1885
1872 - setup lab and developed method of staining and identifying micro-organisms
1876 - identified anthrax
1878 - identified septicaemia
1880 - developed petri dish technique
1882 - identified TB
1883 - identifies cholera
However still no actual cures to these diseases for humans.
Pasteur and Vaccines 1875-1885
1878 - chicken cholera vaccine
1881 - anthrax vaccine in cows and sheep
1882 - vaccine against rabies
However still no effective vaccines for humans.
Chemical Cures - Radiotherapy
1898-1910
Curie discovered polonium and radium in 1898
1908 - nobel prize for physics for Curie
1910 - Sorbonne built first radium institute for study of radioactivity - to shrink tumours
However still harsh side effects like radiation sickness and death, which weren’t well known about - dangerous
Magic Bullet 1 - Salversan 606 1909-1911
Paul Ehrich worked in Kock’s research team
believed a “magic” chemical could target a specific germ in syphillis - experimented with arsenic
1909 - salvarsan 606 discovered
1911 - first used on humans
However it only cured syphillis and had harsh side effects like liver failure.
WW1
better storage for blood - could treat contagious diseases and tissue damage with blood transfusions
delousing stations setup to treat flu-like symptoms of trench foot
chloride added to purify water - stop DandV
However most of these measures were temporary and there were no longer term solutions - penicillin had not yet been discovered
Sulfa Drugs (1930’s)
first type of antibiotic that could treat diseases like strep-throat
Scientists like Domagk investigated the use of dyes to destroy microbes
1932 - Domagk discovered Prontosil which was effective on the streptococcus bacteria
However it had side effects like kindey and liver damage.
Penicillin 1928-45
First antibiotic that could target bacterial infections
1928 - Fleming accidentally discovered penicillin mould when testing on staphylococcus bacteria, further tested on the mould and discovered it acted against anthrax and diphtheria
1939 - Florey and chain assembled a research team to investiate further
1940 - they succesfully tested it on mice
1941 - on a human succesfully - asked US government to fund production
1942 - US gave 80 mil to 4 drug companies
1945 - US producing 2 mil doses per month (enough for all D-Day casualties)
Tetanus (WW2)
Serious bacterial infection that attacks muscles.
relatively common before vaccine
1940 - Battle of Dunkirk - 17k soldiers were wounded and none of them developed Tetanus
PTSD (WW2)
WW2 made it more understood by people
18 pshychiatric hospitals set up to care for servicemen - often setup in quiet locations - peaceful
Microscopes (early 19th century)
- microscopes had imroved through the early 19th century due to the work of Joseph Lister so that when pasteur was doing his experiments, microscopes could be magnified to 1000X without distortion - helped pasteur with his findings
