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Medicine Case Studies - Coggle Diagram
Medicine Case Studies
Black Death
Causes
People thought that the Black Death was caused by:
- Religion: God sent the plague as a punishment for people's sins.
- Astrology: The position of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn was unusual at this time.
- Miasma: Bad air or smells caused by decaying rubbish.
- Volcanoes: Poisonous gases from European volcanoes and earthquakes carried in the air.
- Four Humours: Most physicians believed that disease was caused by an imbalance in the Four Humours.
- Outsiders: Strangers or witches had caused the disease.
Treatment
- Praying and holding lucky charms
- Cutting open buboes to drain the pus
- Holding bread against the buboes, then burying it in the ground
- Eating cool things and taking cold baths
Prevention
People tried to prevent from catching it by:
- Praying and fasting: because people believed that God had sent the disesae, it made sense to show God they were sorry by punishing themselves.
- Clearing up rubbish in the streets.
- Smelling their toilets or other bad smells, in the belief this would overcome the plague.
- Lighting a fire in the room, ringing bells or having birds flying around the room to keep air moving.
- Carrying herbs and spices to avoid breathing in 'bad air'.
- Not letting unknown people enter the town or village.
Government action
There was no effective government response to this as the government knew little about how it was caused.
Great Plague
Causes
People's beliefs about the causes of the Great Plague were mostly the same as beliefs about the Black Death. Some differences were:
- Miasma was the most commonly believed cause
- Far fewer people believed it was caused by an imbalance in the Four Humours
- People knew that diseases could be passed from person to person.
Treatment
Many treatments for the Great Plague were similar to those for the Black Death. As most people with the disease were quarantined, little is known about treatments, though many used herbal remedies either mixed in the home or by apothecaries and 'quack' dovtors. Some new treatments that had an impact were:
- The theory of transference meant that people tried to 'transfer' the disease to something else, especially birds, such as chickens.
- It was thought that people could sweat disease out, so the sufferers were wrapped up in thick blankets and put by a fire.
Prevention
Plague doctors wore costumes to prevent them catching the disease. The masks included sweet-smelling herbs to ward off miasma and the clock was waxed so that nothing from the patients could be absorbed into it.
Government action
There was a far greater reaction in 1665 than in 1348. Local councils were ordered by the King to try and stop the plague from spreading.
- Theatres were closed and large gatherings were banned.
- Dogs and cats were killed.
- Streets were cleaned regularly.
- Barrels of tar were burned in the streets.
- Everyday, carts collected the dead who were then buried in deep mass graves.
- A household was boarded into its home for 40 days or taken to the pest house if a member caught the plague.
- Days of fasting and public prayers were ordered.
Lung Cancer
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Treatment
These can either cure or prolong the life of the patient:
- Surgery to remove the tumour or carry out a lung transplant.
- Radiotherapy to try to shrink the tumour or prevent its growth.
- Chemotherapy to try to shrink the tumour, or prevent the cancer returning.
Prevention
The main method of prevention was to reduce the number of people smoking, to prevent them from developing lung cancer. For example:
. TV advertising for cigarettes was banned in 1965 and for cigars and tobacco in 1991. All froms of advertising have since been banned.
. Tax on tobacco products is increased to make smoking more expensive and to encourage people to stop.
. In 2007 in England, smoking was banned in public places where people worked.
. The legal age for buying tobacco products was raised from 16 to 18 in 2007.
Government action
The government action was to prevent people from smoking to reduce the risk of people getting lung cancer.
Cholera
Causes
Most people, including government thought that cholera was caused by miasma and spontaneous generations.
Treatment
In the early 19th century, there was no treatment and most people who caught it died.
Prevention
As people believed that cholera was caused by miasma and spontaneous generation, people tried to keep their homes as clean as possible and some local councils tried to clean the streets and clear away rubbish.
Government action
The government's Public Health Act of 1848 suggested that cities should provide clean water supplies, but the Act was not compulsory and so few complied.