Prevention of illness and disease

• Soothsayers

  Could see into the future

  Eg. Mother shipton
• In the medieval times, apothecaries offered herbal cures or collected herbs to ward off evil
• In the medieval times, there were barber surgeons who did anything

  • Cutting hair
  • Amputations
  • Dentistry
• were popular preventions in the early modern era?

  • bloodletting to balance the four humours (Hippocrate)
  • Cold water in Brighton
• What did James Lind do in the early modern period?


  he discovered that scurvy was caused by a lack of vitamin c, and that lemon juice was a cure for it
• What did Alexander Gordon discover in the early modern era?


  that cleaning surgical clothing and washing hands frequently significantly reduced rates of childbed fever
• What did John snow discover in the industrial period?


  That cholera is caused by drinking contaminated water

  He tested this theory by removing a pump in soho, London, and rates lowered because people began drinking beer instead!
• What did Edward Jenner do in the industrial period?


  he led to the development of vaccinations

  He noticed that milkmaids who had caught cowpox, didn’t catch smallpox

  He created inoculations which was a small scratch of the illness on the skin

  He tested this on a young boy!
• What are the main preventions of illness and disease in modern day?

  • hygiene
  • Avoiding the consumption of too much processed food
  • Limited alcohol consumption
  • Being up to date with vaccines