THE 19TH CENTURY

Louis Pasteur

Published Germ Theory in 1861; he proved that microbes in the air cause decay, not "spontaneous generation."

Robert Koch

Identified the specific bacteria for Anthrax, TB, and Cholera; he proved Pasteur's theory and created "Microbiology."

James Simpson

Discovered the anaesthetic properties of Chloroform in 1847; it allowed for deeper, longer surgeries.

Joseph Lister

Used Carbolic Acid as an antiseptic spray in 1865; it reduced death rates from 45% to 15% but was unpopular with nurses.

Aseptic Surgery

The shift by 1890 from "killing germs" (antiseptic) to "keeping germs out" (scrubbing hands, wearing gloves, sterilising tools).

John Snow

Proved Cholera was water-borne in 1854 by mapping the Broad Street pump deaths; he ended the "Miasma" myth.

Edwin Chadwick

His 1842 report proved that poverty caused ill health and suggested that the government must provide clean water and sewers.

Laissez-faire

The "leave it alone" attitude of the 19th-century government; they believed it wasn't their job to pay for people's health.

The 1848 Public Health Act

"Non-compulsory"; it allowed towns to set up Health Boards but didn't force them to, so most did nothing.

The Great Stink (1858)

The smell of the Thames was so bad it stopped Parliament; it forced the government to pay for a new sewer system.

Joseph Bazalgette

Designed London's 82 miles of sewers; they finally separated drinking water from waste, ending Cholera.

The 1875 Public Health Act

"Compulsory"; it forced all councils to provide clean water, sewers, and "Public Health Inspectors."

Florence Nightingale

Reduced the death rate at Scutari hospital from 40% to 2% through cleanliness and ventilation; she professionalised nursing.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

The first woman to qualify as a doctor in Britain (1865); she had to find a loophole in the rules to do it.

Humphry Davy

Discovered Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas) in 1799, but it was used as a party trick rather than a medical tool.

The Black Period of Surgery

1846-1870; surgeons were too confident with anaesthetics and performed more dangerous surgeries, but without antiseptics, more people died from infection.

Magic Bullets

Paul Ehrlich's idea for a chemical that would kill specific germs without harming the body; lead to Salvarsan 606 for Syphilis.

Microscope Tech

By 1880, better lenses allowed Robert Koch to see tiny microbes, which was the final proof Germ Theory needed.

The Poor Law (1834)

Created "Workhouses" for the poor; medical care there was basic and designed to be "worse" than life outside.

Industrialisation

Rapid growth of cities (Manchester/London) led to overcrowding and the return of epidemic diseases like Typhoid and Cholera.