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Medicine in eighteenth and nineteenth century Britain (Ideas about cause…
Medicine in eighteenth and nineteenth century Britain
Ideas about cause of disease and illness
Pasteur's Germ Theory
1861 - Germ Theory Published
Proved that germs caused liquids to decay - lead to disease in body
Impact
Little immediately - doctors couldn't see microbes
Impacted Lister - he linked Germ Theory to infection in patient
In long term - led to changes in preventing disease with vaccinations and introduction of antiseptic and aseptic surgery
Koch's work on microbes
Identified microbes that caused common individual diseases
1876 - anthrax
1882 - tuberculosis and typhoid
1883 - cholera
Influence
+
Developed dye to stain microbes
Method of growing microbes
Inspired other scientists
-
Took time for cures and vaccines to be developed
British government rejected Germ Theory - even when proved, they believed in miasma
Continuity and changes
Continuity
Four Humours
Miasma
Change
Germ Theory
Spontaneous generation theory - microbes product of decay and miasma caused it
Approaches to prevention and treatment
Change
Hospital Care
Florence Nightingale noticed high death rate among soldiers
She cleaned wards, improved organisation and gave patients clean bedding and meals
Death rate dropped from 40 to 2%
Surgery
Pain, infection and bleeding
In 1847, James Simpson discovered chloroform as anaesthetic
Dosage had to be carefully controlled
Joseph Lister overcame infection in 1865 by using carbolic acid to clear bacteria from wounds of patients - antiseptic surgery
Unpleasant to use - dried out skin
After 1890, aseptic surgery was used
Vaccination
Initially inoculation used but expensive and dangerous
Jenner, country doctor, observed that milkmaids who suffered from cowpox didn't catch smallpox during epidemics
Tested theory and proved successful, 1796
Took time for vaccinations to be accepted
People opposed because no explanation - germ theory not published
People thought infecting with animal disease not right
Royal Society refused to publish findings because 'too revolutionary'
Anti-vaccine society set up in 1866 to oppose vaccination - published cartoons to scare people
Approaches to prevention and treatment 2
Fighting Cholera
Terrible disease that caused sickness and diarrhoea and usually fatal
Cause unknown
Miasma
Burning barrels of tar
Smoking cigars
Praying and burning clothes and bedding of victims
John Snow investigated in 1854
Spot map to show deaths from cholera around Broad Street in Soho district of London
Noticed all deaths connected to water pump
He removed handle and prevented people from using it
No more deaths in area
Well underneath was close to a cesspit with a cracked lining - caused waste to seep into water and spread cholera
Public Health Acts
In early nineteenth century - British government had a laissez-faire attitude
Attitude changed, because...
Cholera returned and killed more
In 1842, Edwin Chadwick published his
'Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Classes'
and showed very poor conditions
First in 1848
Cities encouraged to set up boards of Health and provide clean water - but not compulsory so many didnt
Second in 1875
Cities forced to improve sanitary conditions by
Proving clean water
Disposing of sewage
Street lighting