c1900-present: Medicine in Modern Britain

What is a magic bullet?

A chemical cure that attacks germs without causing harm

What was the second magic bullet, developed by Domagk in 1932, aim to cure? (prontosil)

Blood poisoning

Who discovered penicillin by chance?

Alexander Fleming

What is the name of the procedure in which flesh is examined to diagnose illness?

Biopsy

Which principle, developed by Mendel, stated that genes come in pairs and are inherited from parents?

Fundamental laws of inheritance

Which English doctor theorised in 1902 that hereditary diseases are caused by missing information in the body?

Archibald Garrod

In which year did the scientists Beadle and Tatum prove Garrod's theory?

1941

What did Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins manage to create images of in 1951?

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

Which two scientists published a paper in 1953 on the double helix structure of DNA?

Crick and Watson

Which project did James Watson launch in 1990 (and ended in 2000) which mapped the human genome?

The Human Genome Project

What did the physicist Ernst Ruska and electrical engineer Max Knoll develop in 1931?

The electron microscope

An optical microscope can magnify a sample up to 2,000 times; what can an electron microscope achieve?

10,000,000 times magnification

Which three types of scanners were developed during the 1900s?

Ultrasound (1940s-), MRI & CT (1970s-)

What does the body produce to fight diseases?

Antibodies

Which scientist had tested over 600 arsenic compounds in order to find a cure for the disease syphilis?

Ehrlich

After retesting the 606th compound in 1909, what did Hata create (it was referred to as the first 'magic bullet')?

Salvarsan 606

What was the second magic bullet, developed by Domagk in 1932, aim to cure?

Blood poisoning

Following Prontosil, what did the death rate of puerperal fever drop to?

4.7 % (from 20%)

What did the Minister for Health, Nye Bevan, establish in 1948, following a report by William Beveridge in 1944?

The National Health Service (NHS)

When was the first heart transplant performed?

1967 (Barnard)

In 1900, 25% of deaths were caused by infectious disease; what had this figure fallen to by 1990?

1%

What vaccination did the government introduce in 1942?

Diphtheria

How did the government aim to improve peoples' health by improving air quality following the smog of 1952?

Clean Air Acts (1956 & 1986)

Who discovered penicillin by chance?

Alexander Fleming

When did Alexander Fleming write his report on penicillin?

1929

Why is penicillin sometimes referred to as the first 'true antibiotic' (unlike Salvarsan 606)?

It was made from micro-organisms

Which scientists restarted Fleming's research in 1939?

Florey & Chain

Having successfully treated mice in 1940, when did they successfully treat humans?

1941

When did mass-production of penicillin begin?

1942

Who provided the majority of the funding?

The American Government

What prompted the American Government to grant Florey & Chain money towards mass-production?

Pearl Harbour (World War II)

By which time was there enough penicillin to treat all the Allied casualties?

D-Day (June 1944)

Which chemist created a chemical copy of penicillin so that it could be changed to target different diseases?

John Sheehan

In the 19th century, only 1% of all cancers were caused by lung tumours; what was it by 1927?

14%

The number of deaths among men peaked in 1973; how many died that year?

26,000

The idea of tailoring treatments to a person's DNA is called what?

Pharmacogenomics

By 1985, how much did smoking-related deaths cost the NHS?

£165 million per year

How much did the government, however, earn from the tobacco tax?

£4 billion

What two methods can the government employ in order to reduce the number of people who smoke?

Changing (force) & influencing behaviours

When did the government first ban tobacco advertising on the television?

1965

In what year did the government ban smoking in the workplace and raise the legal age for buying tobacco to 18?

2007

In what way was the government's 2007 ban similar to their response in 1875 to John Snow's Theory?

It forced cities to be cleaner for health

How else has the government's reaction to combat lung cancer been similar to how they responded to cholera?

Only reacted when death toll is too high

Garrod's Theory on hereditary illnesses

1902

Fleming identifies penicillin

1928

Establishment of the National Health Service

1948

Ehrlich tests arsenic compounds

1907

Fleming publishes his findings

1929

Crick & Watson's Theory on DNA

1953

Hata retests the 606th compound; finds the cure

1909

Domagk's Prontosil used for blood poisoning

1932

A chemical copy of penicillin is created

1957

The National Insurance Act

1911

Garrod's Theory is proven by Beadle & Tatum

1941

Last recorded case of polio in the UK

1984

The Ministry of Health is established

1919

Mass-production of penicillin begins

1942

Human Genome Project

1990