Modern Medicine - 20th Century Flashcards
(62 cards)
Why was there a growth of alternative medicine in the 20th century?
controversies e.g. thalidomide case made people mistrust mainstream medicine
What kinds of medicines grew in the 20th century?
- alternative medicine - hydrotherapy, aromatherapy (oils from plants), and acupuncture
Who thought alternative medicine (acupuncture e.g.) was witchcraft and nonsense?
the British Medical Association
How many doctors now prescribe alternative medicine?
1 in 10 doctors
How did the role of the doctor change in the 20th century?
- people still had to pay to see a doctor at the start of the 20th century so most used traditional remedies e.g. “[for] headaches we had vinegar and brown paper” - kathleen davys 1930s
- Labour set up NHS in 1948 making seeing GP free - have become central to delivery of medical services
What was set up to treat WW1 soldiers?
Casualty Clearing Stations 1915
What was WW1 in turns of disease/injuries?
The first major conflict where deaths from injuries outweighed deaths from disease
How many people died in WW1?
8 million soldiers died - 20 million injured
What were the five impacts of WW1 on surgery?
- technological improvements
- shell shock improvement
- x-rays
- blood transfusions
- skin grafts/plastic surgery
How did WW1 cause technological improvements?
- mobile x-rat units allowed better identification of injuries
- blood transfusions helped recovery
- soldiers with broken femurs who died dropped 80% died in 1914 and 80% survived in 1916
- improvements in cleaning wounds, convalescent wards and hospitals
How many soldiers died from broken femurs in WW1?
80% died - 80% survived between 1914-16
How did WW1 change shell shock treatment?
- 80,000 men with shell shock
- 306 executed for cowardice
- a’s war progressed it became more accepted and hospitals treated them e.g. Craiglockhart hospital - William Rivers “talking cure” encouraged men to talk about experiences - Wilfred Own treated here
- this technique was used for treating mental illness after the war
How many men had shellshock in WW2?
80,000
How many WW1 soldiers were executed for cowardice?
306 soldiers with shellshock - executed by firing squad
How did WW1 impact X-rays?
- discovered by accident 1895 by Roentgen
- Edison and Eastman invented glass plates and x-ray film - making invention more accurate
- scientists developed radiotherapy to avoid invasive cancer surgery
- X-ray imaging still used for CT scans - surgeons can see tissue in 3D
Who discovered X-rays?
Roentgen in 1895 (but later improved by Edison and Eastman)
How did WW1 impact blood transfusions?
- 1901 blood groups discovered by Landsteiner (meaning donors and patients could be matched and transfusions became practical)
- discovered that anti-coagulants added to blood meant it would last for 28 days
- 1915 first blood banks set up for battle casualties
- 1921 British Red Cross set up voluntary blood scheme - this was copied around the world
- 700,000 blood donors in WW1
- 1940 blood dehydrated into plasma and plastic wallets used for transport
How many blood donors were there in WW2?
700,000
When were blood banks first set up?
1921 by British Red Cross
How did WW1 impact skin grafts/plastic surgery?
- Follows developed techniques to treat facial injuries
- by 1917 - special hospital for facial repairs
- 5000 soldiers treated by Gillies who grafted skin onto injuries - rebuilt damaged faces and became pioneer of plastic surgery
Who was the pioneer of plastic surgery?
Gillies
How many soldiers had skin grafts by Gillies in WW2?
5,000
What developments in medicine were made during WW2? (5)
- heart surgery under Harken - removing bullets and shrapnel increased knowledge
- government encouraged people to grow own food - vegetables made people healthy and evacuation took children to clean countryside - rations ensured healthy lifestyle
- Sir Harold Ridley helped cataract surgery by treating airmen as perspex splinters weren’t rejected by eyes
- Sir Archibald McIndoe - worked on burns (pilots shot down) - improved skin grafting techniques and helped pilots reintegrate into society
- Mepacrine anti-malaria tablet
How many people died from the flu in 1918?
20-40 million worldwide in 1918