GCSE History (Medicine and Treatment): The Industrial Revolution
What opposition did Chadwick face?
- Believed government shouldn't interfere - Water companies thought changes would reduce profits - Tax-payers were reluctant to pay for the poor
Why didn't health improve?
- Child labour in factories - Poor housing - Contaminated food and water - Poor public health
What were the killer diseases of the era?
- Cholera - Typhoid - Smallpox
How did urbanization affect the development of medicine?
- Crowded and unsanitary conditions led to outbreaks of disease - Pollution made cities unhealthy
Give examples of how the germ theory impacted medicine and treatment
- Disapproved spontaneous generation - Made it possible to develop vaccines and eliminate infectious diseases
What did Florence Nightingale do when in Scutari?
- Emphasized the importance of cleanliness and fresh air - Organised care and supplies for patients
What were the limitations of Snow's work?
- Government hadn't taken action until the second Public Health Act - He didn't know much about germs (thought miasma was concentrated in the water) - Research methods not in depth - Ideas only applied to cholera
How were doctor qualifications an improvement in medical training?
- Had to be accepted by the Royal College of Physicians, or the Society of Apothecaries - Examination before awarded certificate - Qualified doctors had to be registered with a General Medical Council
How did Bazalgette's invention improve public health?
- Hygiene improved, disease reduced, death rate fell - His pumping stations (1865) pumped water through London's sewers as well - Solved the issue of the Great Stink
How did Robert Koch contribute to medicine and treatment?
- Identified the microbes causing anthrax, TB and cholera - Found that chemical dyes could stain bacteria for further study - Photographed germs for record, and to share research
How did new technology affect the development of medicine?
- Invention of steel meant new needles for injections - Telegraph lines meant better communications between countries (Crimea war) - Railways and steamships meant quicker transport - Better glass led to the invention of the medical thermometer
Why was the first Public Health Act unsuccessful?
- Measures were not compulsory - Death rate had to pass 23 thousand per living
How are research teams important?
- More likely to receive funding, and can afford expensive new technology - Can carry out large-scale testing - Easier to check each others work - Members of the team have different specialisms
Why did Galen no longer have as much influence?
- New understanding of the body - Galen's descriptions were incomplete - Doctors carried out dissections and used new technology to prove theories for themselves
How did Snow impact society?
- Number of deaths fell dramatically - First to realize miasma wasn't the cause of cholera - His link prompted Parliament to improve public health
What opposition did Edward Jenner face?
- Only a country doctor - Church believed vaccination was not natural - No knowledge of germs - Innoculators afraid of losing money - Anti-vaccine league formed in 1866 - His vaccination only dealt with one disease
What else did Nightingale achieve?
- Opened schools for nurses and midwives - Wrote books that discussed practical care and high standards (translated into 11 languages)
What helped Pasteur make his discovery?
- Powerful microscope - Printing press
How did vaccinations develop medicine and treatment?
- Proved disease could be prevented - The 'Jennerian Society' was set up in 1802 to vaccinate as many people as possible
How did war and conquest affect the development of medicine?
- Rivalry between doctors led to discoveries - Wounded soldiers gave nurses an opportunity to explore - New discoveries about foreign diseases were made when the British Empire ruled
How did people try to treat cholera?
- Smoke in streets - Smoking cigars - Lucky charms - Cleaning house with whitewash - Burning clothes and bedding of the infected - Praying
What was the problem with inoculation?
- Sometimes led to smallpox and death - Inoculation parties only welcomed the wealthy
How did government affect the development of medicine?
- They passed laws to improve the environment of cities - Funded projects
What did the first Public Health Act propose?
- Towns could set up a local Board of Health - A local medical officer could be appointed - They could organise the removal of rubbish - A sewer system could be built
How was practical experience an improvement in medical training?
- Work experience in hospitals - Use of microscopes and clinical observation encouraged
What year was the first Public Health Act established?
1848
When did Louis Pasteur publish his germ theory?
1861
When was the Sanitary Act established?
1866
When were vaccinations made compulsory?
1871
When was the Artisans Dwelling Act established?
1875
When was the second Public Health Act?
1875
What else did Pasteur discover?
By studying chicken cholera microbes, he realized a weakened version of a microbe would also create immunity from that disease (by chance)
Who was Edward Jenner?
Discovered people who had already had cowpox didn't get smallpox (milkmaids). So he injected a small boy with cowpox matter, then smallpox matter and found he was immune to the disease
Who brought inoculation to Britain?
During the 18th century, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu discovered that a healthy person could be immunized against small pox using the pus from the sores of a sufferer with a mild form of the disease
Why was the prevention and treatment of disease slow? (Germ theory)
Each disease had to be researched individually
What did the Sanitary Act propose?
Forced towns to appoint inspectors to check water supplies and drainage
How did the death rate decrease in Scutari hospitals treating the wounded?
From 42% to 2%
What did the Artisans Dwelling Act propose?
Gave local authorities the power to buy and demolish slum housing
What did John Snow do?
He had the handle of a pump on Broad Street removed because he had made a connection between poor water supply and cholera
How did Nightingale's work impact Britain?
Her work during the Crimean war was reported in British newspapers
What were the limitations of Chadwick's work?
His lack of scientific knowledge led him to believe basic sanitation alone was the key to stopping cholera
What was the problem with increasing popularity of human dissections?
Illegal activity was needed to obtain bodies (body snatchers)
What was the Great Stink?
In 1858, hot weather and exposed sewage meant Parliament could not meet because it smelt so bad
How did compulsory vaccinations cause the drop in deaths from smallpox?
It forced local authorities to register everyone who was and wasn't vaccinated
What is spontaneous generation?
Living things can arise from non-living things by the action of God
What did the second Public Health Act propose?
Made local councils responsible for ensuring that clean water, public toilets, rubbish removal, sewers and drains were provided
Give an example of how Nightingale impacted hospitals
Now only 1 patient per bed
What did Bazalgette's sewerage system ensure?
Sewage pipes caught London's waste and carried it eastwards into the sea, before it flowed into the river, and into London's drinking water
In what way did Nightingale hold back medical advancement?
She believed disease was caused by miasma
What was the germ theory?
That microorganisms cause disease
How is cholera spread, and what does it cause?
The cholera bacterium is usually found in water or food sources that have been contaminated by feces, causing sickness and severe diarrhoea
Who was Joseph Bazalgette?
The first person to design a complex sewerage system for London, whilst taking into account the growing population (forward thinking)
How did Chadwick impact society?
The second outbreak of cholera pushed the government to trial his ideas
What did Edward Chadwick's survey suggest?
There was a link between hygiene and poverty, so local taxes should be used to improve housing and hygiene (cheaper)
