Medicine in Britain: 1250-Present Mindmap
Medieval: 1250-1500
Disease and the Supernatural
Rational Explanations
Treating Disease
The Black Death
Renaissance: 1500-1700
18th-19th Century: 1700-1900
Modern: 1700-Present
The Renaissance
Vesalius and Sydenham
William Harvey
Improved Communication
Continuity of Medical Treatment
The Great Plague
Vaccination
Developments in Nursing
Anaesthetics
Antiseptics
Cholera in London
The Public Health Act of 1875
Modern Ideas about the Cause of Disease
Developments in Diagnosis
Penecilin
Modern Treatments
Modern Surgery
National Health Service
The Government's Role in Healthcare
Lung Cancer
Disease was thought to have supernatural causes
The church had a big influence on medicine
Astrology was used to diagnose disease
Medicine was dominated by the four humours theory
It was believed that miasma caused disease
Hippocrates and Galen were very influential
Prayer and repentance were major treatments
Bloodletting and purging aimed to balance humours
Purifying the air was thought to prevent disease
Remedies were early natural medicines
It was a series of plagues
Physicians didn't have much practical experience
Most people went to see an apothecary
Barbers did surgery - not doctors
There weren't many public hospitals
It arrived in Britain in 1348 and had ended by 1350
People didn't know what caused the Black Death
Local Governments tried to prevent the spread of disease
There was both change and continuity in this era
The medical knowledge of doctors improved
Vesalius wrote anatomy books with accurate diagrams
He discovered the circulation of blood
The printing press allowed new ideas to be spread
His ideas changed how people understood anatomy
His research didn't have much impact on diagnosis and treatment
The Royal Society changed perceptions of medicine
Some doctors still followed old ideas
People continued to use other healers
It hit London in 1665
People sought care in the community and at home
Hospitals were still fairly basic
Superstition still dominated treatment
People tried to prevent the plague from spreading
Before Jenner, the only way to treat smallpox was inoculation
Jenner discovered a link between smallpox and cowpox
Jenner's vaccination was successful despite opposition
The Germ Theory
People knew about germs but hadn't linked them to disease
Pasteur was the first to suggest that germs cause disease
It took time for the Germ Theory to have an impact
Robert Koch used dyes to identify microbes
Florence Nightingale improved army hospitals
Nightingale used her fame to change nursing
They solved the problems of pain
Early anaesthetics lead to a rise in death rates
There are two main approaches to reducing infection during an operation
Joseph Lister pioneered the use of antiseptics
Asepsis reduced the need for chemicals
Towns had no proper water or waste facilities
Cholera epidemics killed thousands of people
Snow linked cholera to contaminated water
Earlier attempts to improve public health had limited success
Public opinion began to change
The 1875 act improved public health
Viruses were discovered
DNA has given an insight into genetic conditions
Lifestyle factors can increase the risk of some diseases
Blood tests allow doctors to diagnose more illnesses
Doctors can see more of the body with medical scans
Patients can now monitor their own bodies
Fleming discovered penicillin
Florey and Chain found a way to purify penecillin
It was the first antibiotic
Florey took penicillin to America for mass production
Paul Ehrlich discovered the first magic bullet - Salvarsan 606
Gerhard Domagk found the second magic bullet - Prontosil
Treatments have been introdued to fight cancer
Blood Transfusions have solved the problem of blood loss
Transplants have been made more successful
Keyhole surgery and robot-assisted surgery have increased precision
Before the NHS, access to healthcare was limited
The NHS was established in 1948
The NHS improved access to healthcare
Vaccination campaigns have eradicated some diseases
Lifestyle campaigns aim to improve people's health
Lung caner can be caused by smoking
Lung cancer diagnostics and treatment have improved
Government campaigns have reduced smoking
The British Sector of the Western Front
Trench Warfare on the Western Front
The RAMC and FANY
Conditions in the Trenches
Wounds and Injuries
Developments in Surgery and Medicine
Access to original writings: Western doctors gained access to the original writings of Hippocrates, Galen and Avicenna, that hadn't been available in the Medieval era. This lead to a greater interest in the Four Humours Theory and treatment by opposites.
Science: People started to focus on science, instead of magic and mysticism. They thought about how the body worked based on direct observation and experimentation.
Books: Many new books said that dissection and anatomy were important, which encouraged people to make their own observations and come to their own conclusions about the causes of disease.
Old Ideas Challenged: People began to challenge Galen and other ancient doctors' theories, but his writings were still studied.
Many doctors in the Renaissance period studied at the College of Physicians, which had been set up in 1518
Church had less influence: Protestant Christianity spread across Europe, which reduced the influence of the Catholic Church. This meant that the church didn't have very much power over medical teaching anymore
Galen's books were read here, but they also studied recent medical developments
Dissections also became a key part of medical training, which showed how the body actually worked.
New weapons were being used in war, like canons and guns
This meant that doctors had to treat injuries they hadn't seen before.
They were forced to quickly find new treatments
Explorations abroad brought new ingredients for drugs back to Britain
Guaiacum was believed to cure syphilis
Quinine, from the bark of cinchona trees, was used to treat malaria
The dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s was when Henry VIII closed down most of Britain's monasteries.
Most hospitals had been set up and run by monasteries, so this also lead to the closure of a large number of hospitals.
The monastic hospitals were gradually replaced by some free hospitals, which were funded by charitable donations
These hospitals were run by trained physician, instead of monks. Physicians focused more on getting better from illness, rather than just caring for the sick.
Sydenham used practical experience
It was invented in 1440.
It allowed new ideas and knowledge to be spread very cheaply.
Books and leaflets could be printed and sent across Europe.
Before, information was only told person-to-person.
click to edit
click to edit