Industrial medicine

• What was the spontaneous generation?

  Microbes were caused by disease, microbes were a symptom and diseases developed randomly creating bacteria
• What were contagionists?

  Believed diseases were spread by contact.
• What were anti-contagionists?

  Diseases were spread by miasma
• What happened in 1857?

  Pasteur tried to explain why sugar beet used to ferment alcohol soured, pasteur though that germs in the air were responsible

  • he found that sterilised water was still sterile if the flask was closed but not if open, suggesting germs were in the air
• What was published in 1861?

  Germ theory - germs were causing infections, microscopes eventually allowed pasteur to see what he was describing
• What was the opposition to germ theory?

  • A famous doctor, charlton bastian supported the theory of spontaneous generation which contradicted germ theory
  • pasteurs reseach focused on liquids, many did not see a connection to humans
  • they did not believe small germs could harm humans
• How was medical treatment safer?

  • survival rate in surgery increased, hospitals became cleaner, vaccinations became popular
  • tech developments meant that disease could be identified and stopped more effectively
• What was the spontaneous generation?

  Germs and other microorganisms were discovered as early as the 17th century, scientists thought that they were created by decaying matter, leading people believe that disease caused germs
• What did koch do?

  • developed germ theory, proving germs were not the same
  • identified different microbes that caused -
  • anthrax - 1876
  • septicaemia - 1878
  • tuberculosis - 1882
  • cholera in 1883
  • he identified these by injecting animals with the disease, dying the bacteria and then viewing them under microscopes
• Who did koch and pasteur inspire?

  a generation of scientists who were called microbe hunters
• What did william cheyne do?

  translated kochs work and highlighted that not all microbes cause harmful diseases
• What happened in 1879?

  Pasteur showed that vaccinations could prevent disease, after a researcher left a cholera culture over the weekend they discovered weakened cholera germs could make a chicken immune from later stronger bouts of cholera
• What did pasteur do in 1881?

  produced a weakened vaccine for anthrax in sheep.
• What was the 1848 public health act?

  • set up by central board of health to improve health
  • towns were asked to set up there own local board of health
  • town councils were given power to spend money on improving street cleanliness
  • the results of it was varied as councils had their own autonomy some streets cleaned others different
• what happened in 1854-

  In 1854 the Central Board of Health was shut down as it was seen as a violation of the government’s laissez-faire approach
• When was the great stink and what was it?

  1858, in london the river thames was so full of sewage and the weather was so hot that london smelt terrible, parliament noticed promting them to improve hygeine and sewage systems
• Who did politicians fund for sewer systems?

  Joseph bazalgette to build a new sewer system, he was an engineer
• How many miles of sewers were build?

  over 1300 miles
• What was the 1867 second reform act?

  • in 1867 more working class men won the right to vote
  • this shift in voting population helped to improve living conditions in the uk
  • Polittically to stay in power living conditions had to improve for this group
• What was the 1875 public health act?

  • mandatory
  • forced authorities to
  • provide clean water
  • provide proper sewage systems
  • collect rubbish of streets
  • appoint a medical officer of health
• What contributed to the public health act of 1875?

  • The below all contributed to change:
  • Pasteur’s discovery of germs/microbes as a cause of disease.
  • Edwin Chadwick’s report and recommendations.
  • Dr Snow’s findings around cholera.
• Who first used chloroform?

  James Simpson in 1847 it was effective however deadly in high doses, it killed hannah greener in 1848, queen vic used it in childbirth in 1853
• Who first used ether?

  William clark in 1842, effective but hard to inhale and lef to vomiting and was explosive
• What did anaesthetics initially do?

  Increase no of deaths in surgery, people did more complex ops and hygeine was still bad, doing more complex surgery for longer in an unhygenic place risked infection and blood loss.
• What did some army surgeons believe?

  Soldiers should endure the pain
• What was some religious peoples beliefs on anaesthetics?

  Disagreed, some thought that pain suffered during surgery was gods will
• Who made anaesthetics more popular?

  queen vic after using them in childbirth, public demonstrations of the drugs also helped to make them more widely accepted
• Who was joseph lister?

  Surgeon, he applied germ theory to surgey and thought that germs explained why wounds from surgery got infected, he used carbolic acid as a chemical that could kill bacteria, this stopped germs infecting wounds, decreasing the death rate from 46 to 15 %, covering surgical instruments, bandages and hands in this reduced chance of infection
• How did lister test carbolic acid?

  Tested on a boy named jamie greenlees who had a broken leg, instead of amputating lister healed it and the wound was not infected
• What was the criticism of lister?

  • carbolic acid was unpleasant for doctors as it irritated lungs and skin
  • many surgeons tried to copy his methods but did not do it properly causing them to believe it was wrong
  • people still believed in spontaneous generation
  • most people believed chemicals caused infections
• What was aseptic surgery?

  tried to completely eliminate bacteria before and during the operation rather than trying to kill microbes on a specific wound, surgeons subbed clean, wore new clothes and rubber gloves, sterilise instruments and operating to reduce infection chances
• By 1880 germ theory was widely accepted
• Who was florence nightingale?

  • helped nursing become professional
  • her and 38 nurses chosen by her in the crimean war in 1854 reduced death rates because of her hygiene improvements in wards
  • due to her a higher level of cleanliness and organisation was demanded from hospitals
• What did nightingale publish?

  Notes on Nursing
• Where was the nightingale school of nursing set up?

  st thomas hospital
• What happened to the status of nursing?

  enhances as they were expected to care and assist
• in 1800, the London College of Surgeons was set up. It created training standards for surgeons.
• Nightingale was the first person to recognise how important hygiene in hospitals was.
• When working as a nurse during the Crimean War, Nightingale made small changes to improve cleanliness (such as hand washing).
• Nightingale promoted training for nurses.