History: Modern

• What is an antibiotic?

  Medicine used inside the body that kills certain germs that travels around the body
• What is an antiseptic?

  A chemical used mostly outside the body to prevent germs from getting in
• What world event influenced Alexander Fleming?

  World War I want as he wanted to help soldiers who had contracted staphylococcus
• What did Fleming discover by carrying out an experiment?

  • Penicillin
  • the mould had spread across the petri dish killing the staphylococus
  • the discovery had happened when he went on holiday
  • he published his findings but never carried on as he never saw a medical purpose and
  • never experimented on any animal
• Who were Howard florey and Ernst chain?

  • read Fleming's article on penicillin and became interested
  • 1939 asked the British government money to fund research gave £25 as more concerned with world war two
  • dangerous germs injected into eight mice, four were given penicillin, they survived
  • went to America in 1941, the government gave them $80 million to fund mass producing
• Who was the case study for Howard florey and Ernst chain?

  • Albert Alexander, a policeman, who had been scratched by a rose bush
  • injected him with Penicillin
  • infection started to clear
  • on the 5th day they ran out of penicillin
  • the patient died
  • however proved penicillin was a successful drug
• How did penicillin help world War 2?

  On D-Day in June 1944 that was enough penicillin to treat all the injured soldiers
• What was the life expectancy in 1900 to 1945?

  • 1900 46 for men 54 for women
  • 1945 60 for men 65 for women
• In 1953 what did Francis crick and James Watson discover?

  • DNA which led to gene therapy
• In 1954 what did the UK government give free Vaccines out for?

  • Diphtheria
  • whooping cough
  • tetanus
• what drug caused morning sickness and deformities in babies, which is now used as a treatment for AIDS and some cancers?

  thalidomide
• In 1969 what did the UK government give a free vaccine out for? 


  Rubella
•  In 1978 who was the first test tube baby from the UK? 


  louise brown
• In 2006 which vaccine was approved? 


  Hpv
• William bigelow from Canada was the first to do what?

  Have open heart surgery to repair a hole in a babys heart
• What is a problem with drug development?

  Antibiotic resistance as 25 000 people in the European Union die each year from infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria
• How many wounded allies would have died without penicillin? 


  12 to 15%
• In 1900s karl landSteiner discovered what? 


  Blood groups which meant doctors could perform blood transfusions
• What are some examples of alternative medicine?

  Acupuncture and homeopathy
• How did plastic surgery improve?

  Harold Gillies helped 5,000 servicemen after World War 1 with severe facial wounds by doing skin grafts
• How did X-rays help the world wars?

   Became mobile
• How did the British Army cope with soldiers having Shell Shock or PTSD?

  • Refuse it existed
  • men were being cowards
  • towards the end though too many cases and it was finally recognised
• How were broken bones helped?

  Leg was elevated in traction in leg splint which helped the bone to Bond together more securely
• What was a common infection in the world wars and how is it prevented?

  Gangrene and was prevented by cutting away any infected flesh and soaking the wounds in saline
• What did civil servant William Beveridge do?

   Set up a free National Health Service called the NHS
• what posters were produced in the world wars?

  Fighting fit posters to keep people healthy and warned people about poor hygiene
• Why did the government introduce public health reforms after 1900?

  • The Boer War
  • reports of Booth and rowntree
  • Germany
• How did the boer war help the government introduce public health reforms?

  volunteers were physically unfit, due to poverty related illnesses caused by poor diets and bad living conditions. This lead government to improve Healthcare so that they could have an effective arm
• How did the reports of Booth and rowntree helped the government to introduce public health reforms?

  • 1889 - Booth 'life and labor of the people in London' = 30% of Londoners were so poor they didn't have enough money to eat properly because the wages were so low. link between poverty and high death rate
  • 1901 - rowntree 'poverty a study of town life' = 28% York couldn't afford food and housing
• How did Germany help the government to introduce public health reforms?

  Germany was starting to produce as much coal, iron, and steel. Britain wanted factory workers to be healthy to be the world's leading industrial nation
• What were some problems and benefits of the NHS?

  • Healthcare was free
  • modern drugs were expensive
  • provided medical training and research into new treatments
• Who argued against the NHS?

  • Doctors - wages will go down, strikes
  • Conservatives - the cost
• What did the welfare state include?

  • National Insurance act 1946 provided benefits to anyone who couldn't work because of sickness, pregnancy, unemployment, or old age
  • weekly family allowance
  • school leaving age = 15
  • over 800,000 new council houses built including heating and flushing toilets
  • NHS set up
• What was the beveridge report in 1942?

  • Believed it was the government's duty to care for all people
  • make sure people were free from disease, want, ignorance, idleness, and squalor
  • 'from the Cradle to the grave'
• What were the Liberal social reforms?

  • 1906 free school meals
  • 1907 school medical inspections
  • 1907 Education Act
  • 1908 Children's Act - protection, cigarettes and alcohol not to be sold to children under 16
  • 1908 old age pensions act - weekly pensions
  • 1909 labour exchange act - job centres
  • 1911 National Insurance act - sick pay and free medical treatment (only for people in work)