Edexcel GCSE History - Medicine since 1900

Ideas about causes of disease

• No miasma,supernatural, four humors

• only science based information

• diagnosis is based on sample examination

• 1902 - archibald garrod theorises hhereditary diseases are caused by missing information in the body

• 1941 - scientsts prove garrod’s theory

• Franklin and wilkins create images of dna using x-rays

Discovery of DNA

• With the help of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA

Mapping of the Human Genome

• The Human Genome project was a group of scientists who worked together to decode and map the human genome

• The first draft was finally completed in 2000

• The mapping of the human genome helped scientists understand the cause of genetic diseases such as haemophilia

effect of lifestyle choices on healgth

• Smoking

  • damage to alveoli

  • can lead to coronary heart disease

  • luncg cancer

• Drinking alcohol

  • heart disease

  • high blood pressure which strains blood vessels and other organs

  • can cause cancer in various locations such as the mouth and throat

  • kidney faliure

Improvements in diagnosis since 1900 - scanning

• X-rays

  • 1890s

  • help to see human body without opening it

• MRI

  • 1970s

  • use magnets and radiowaves to create an internal image of the body

• CT

  • 1970s

  • A more advanced form of X-Ray which can be used to diagnose tumors

• Ultrasound

  • 1940s

  • Use sound waves above 20khz to build up a picture inside the body

Improvements in diagnosis since 1900 - Blood

• Blood Tests

  • 1930s - use blood samples to test for conditins

• Blood Pressure Monitors

  • 1880s - help diagnose high and low blood pressure

• Blood Sugar Monitoring

  • 1960s - allow diabetics to regularly check blood sugar levels and manage their condition

Improvements in diagnosis since 1900 - ECGs and Endoscopes

• Endoscopes

  • 1990s

  • use camera on the end of a long flexible stick to look inside the human body

  • commonly used to investigate the digestive system

• ECGs

  • 1900s

  • Use electrical impulses to track heart activity

Aspirin

scientists found which compound in willow bark had painkilling properties and isolated it to make aspirin

Expansion of pharmacies

• Boots and Beechams became successful by:

  • investing in R&D

  • Using scientific techniques to pinpoint the chemicals working as medicines

  • using industrial technology to mass produce

Magic Bullets

• by 1907 a scientists working with koch had teted ovee 600 compounds but not found a cure for syphilis

• 1909 - a japanese tudent named hata discovered a coumpound that could cure syphilis

• 1932 - a scientist discovered a chemical mix called prontosil could kill bacterial infections in mice

• mid 1930s - scientists and pasteur’s institute in paris disovered prontosil prevented binary fission

• 1938 - british scientists developed M&B 693 which was used to treat churchill for pneumonia

Development of antibiotic

• an antibiotic is any treatment which destroys or limits thr growth of bacteria

• penicilin was created using microoganisms, similary to streptomycin which wss used to treat TB

• there is ongoing antibiotics research because bacteria are developing resistance to our current antibiotics

Fleming and Penicilin

• Fleming was a british doctor who found a mould had developed in one of his petri dishes

• upon returning from holiday he realised the mould was killing the bacteria in the petri dish

• Fleming tested the mould and realised that with dilution it would not harm human cells

Florey and Chain

• F&C read flemiing’s article on penicillin and wanted to explore further, however the british govt was only able to provide them with £25

• F&C then sought funding from america and recieved enough money to fund 5 years of research

• F&C tested it on infected mice however it was slow to grow

• It was used to treat a policeman in 1941 but when it ran out he died

Mass production of penicillin

• IN 1942 US companies started mass producing penicillin and by the d-day landings there was enough to treat all allied casualties

Factors enabling the development of penicillin

• Funding fro the american govt

• fleming discovering peniclin

• greater need for penicillin due to the war

• florey and chain were the first to test penicillin on humans

CImproved access to medical care (1900-1948)

• in 1900 many people struggled to afford medical treatment, as a result there were far fewer doctors in impoverished areas

• from 1902 to 1919 the government made numerous reforms to healhthcare such as

  • compulsory training for midwives

  • nurses or doctors had to carry out health checks on children in school

  • the national insurance act provided paid leave for sick workers

  • the ministry of health was set up

Creation of the NHS

• in 1928 all adults over 21 recieved the vote which meant the government had to pander to the demands of the working class

• the beveridge report stated that the government should create a national health service

• some doctors were against this because they believed it would earn them less money

The NHS and it’s impact

• The aim of the NHS was to provide medical care free at the point of use

• it was paid for by national insurance tax contributions and was the largest government intervention in healthcare

• Doctors nuses and other medical workers became government employees

• the NHS led to an increase in life expectancy.

High Tech Medical Treatments

• Blood transfusions

  • were attempted but rarely worked until Landsteiner discovered blood groups

• Transplant surgery

  • first heart transplsnt by Dr Christian Bernard in 1967

• Radio and chemotherapy

  • marie and pierre curie discovered radium which was used to diagnose and treat cancers

Prevention of disease from 1900

• Compulsory vaccinations such as polio in 1950 led to the 8000 ish cases yearly in the 1930s dropping to only 1 in 1984

• laws foe healthy living such as the clean air acts of 1950 and 1968 were triggered by incidents of heavy smog

• lifestyle campaigns such as anti smoking adverts and Change4Life aim to improve peoples diet and daily habits

Lung Cancer

• lung cancer is the most common cancer in the uk and mainly affects people over the age of 40

• 85% are ex or current smokers, other chemicals such as radon gas can be to blame

• in the 18th century there were few cases of lung cancer but agrressive advertising from cigarette companies led to a peak in cases

Use of Science in diagnosis of lunc cancer

• lung cander is often hard to detect becase it’s symptoms can be mistaken for those of other diseases

• CT scans are used to get detailed images of the body and then PET scans are used to identify the cancerous cells

Use of Science in treatment of lung cancer

the first treatment if caugh early enoughis to operate and remove the cancer cells from the lungs but this could range from a small piece to the whole lung

Other treatments of lung cancer

• it is possible to replace cancerous tissue with lungs from a healthy donor using a transplant

• during radiotherapy concentrated waves of radiation are used to shrink the tumor or prevent one from growing bigger

• during chemotherapy patients are injected with different drugs to either shrink the tumor,prevent it from reocurring or provide relief from symptoms

• scientists have been studying the genes of people with lung cancer sufferers in order to prescribe more effective treatments

Role of the Govt in the prevention of lunc cancer

• in 2007 th govt banned smoking in all workplaces and raised the age limit from 16 to 18

• they also increased taxation on tobacco products to de-incentivise people from buyint it