Medicine in Britain Flashcards

Flashcards for AQA GCSE History - Medicine in Britain, c1250-present

Germ Theory (Louis Pasteur)

Proved disease caused by microbes; used swan-neck flasks to show air carried germs (1861).

Robert Koch

Identified specific bacteria (e.g., TB, cholera) in the 1880s.

Edward Jenner

Developed smallpox vaccine using cowpox in 1796; inoculated James Phipps, published results in 1798.

Florence Nightingale

Improved hygiene in army hospitals during the Crimean War (1854), reducing death rates; set up nurse training and wrote 'Notes on Nursing'.

John Snow

Proved cholera spread by water, not miasma, in 1854 by removing the Broad Street pump handle.

Chloroform

Used as an anaesthetic, dramatically improving surgery in 1847 upon discovery by James Simpson.

Carbolic Acid

Used as an antiseptic by Joseph Lister in 1867, dramatically reducing death from infection.

1875 Public Health Act

An act in 1875 that made clean water, sewers, and inspectors compulsory.

Genetics

DNA structure discovered by Watson & Crick in 1953, impacting research into inherited conditions.

Lifestyle factors (smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol)

Linked to illness, researched after 1900.

X-rays, CT scans, MRI, blood tests, ultrasound

Used for early diagnosis of cancers and infections.

Magic bullets

Target specific bacteria (e.g., Salvarsan 606 - Ehrlich, 1909).

Antibiotics (Penicillin)

Discovered by Fleming (1928), developed by Florey and Chain (1940s). Mass-produced in WW2 with government support.

NHS

Founded in 1948, providing free healthcare for all (GP visits, hospitals, vaccinations).

Public Health Campaigns

Smoking bans, obesity campaigns, health checks, vaccinations (e.g., HPV, COVID).

Conditions in Trenches (Western Front, 1914-18)

Mud, rats, cold that resulted in trench foot, shell shock (PTSD), gas attacks (chlorine, mustard gas), shrapnel wounds and infection.

Chain of Evacuation (Western Front)

Stretcher Bearers, Regimental Aid Posts (RAP), Dressing Stations (ADS/MDS), Casualty Clearing Stations (CCS), and Base Hospitals.

Thomas Splint

Stabilized leg fractures → higher survival.

Blood transfusions

Used during surgery (Robertson) to save lives.

X-rays (Western Front)

Located bullets/shrapnel.

Aseptic surgery

Carbolic acid, sterilisation.

RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps)

Military doctors and stretcher teams.

FANY (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry)

Drove ambulances, supported wounded soldiers.

Religion (Medieval England beliefs)

People believed God caused disease to punish sin. Illness was a test of faith.

Four Humours

Illness came from imbalance of blood, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile.

Miasma

Bad air caused disease. People cleaned streets to remove bad smells.

Astrology

Movements of planets were linked to illness.

Religious treatments (Medieval England)

Prayer, pilgrimages, fasting.

Humoural treatments

Bloodletting, purging (vomiting or laxatives), herbal remedies.

Regimen sanitatis

Advice from doctors on hygiene, diet and exercise.

Physicians

Trained in universities, studied Galen, didn't treat many patients.

Barber-surgeons

Performed simple surgery (tooth-pulling, bleeding).

Apothecaries

Sold remedies, often mixed herbal treatments.

Wise women and local healers

Used traditional knowledge to heal patients.

Hospitals (Medieval England)

Run by monasteries; cared for the sick but rarely treated.

Poor sanitation

Open sewers, contaminated water, animals in streets led to

Decline of the Church's power

Doctors questioned religious explanations because of

Humanism

Focused on logic, observation, and classical texts.

Printing press (1470s)

Allowed spread of new ideas quickly.

Royal Society (founded 1660)

Promoted scientific experiments and publishing.

Vesalius (1514-64)

Improved anatomy knowledge by dissecting human bodies; proved Galen wrong.

William Harvey (1578-1657)

Discovered circulation of the blood; proved blood pumped by heart.

Ambroise Paré (1510-90)

Surgeon who used ligatures instead of cauterisation; made soothing ointments to treat wounds; wrote surgical manuals.

Responses to Great Plague (1665)

Isolation, quarantine, killing cats and dogs.