Modern Medicine

• Penicillin - Flemming

  • left his research on a bacterium, but came back from holiday and saw that mould had grown on it, killing bacteria
  • published findings in 1929, but couldn't make enough funds to develop it
• Penicillin - Florey and Chain

  • 1937, read Fleming's findings and began to research penicillin
  • 1940, overcame difficulty on mass production, testing happened
  • WW2 provided huge incentive for its development, 1943 used on Allied troops, was successful
  • at D-Day, a huge factory was ready with 1.1 mill doses to treat soldiers
• Liberal Reforms

  • 1906, Education Act - free school meals
  • 1908, Children and Young Persons Act - against child abuse and exploitation, enhancing protection
  • 1908, Old Age and Pensions Act
  • 1911, National Insurance Acts
  • transformed Britain's social landscape, pivotal role in alleviating poverty, improving welfare rights
• William Beveridge

  • appointed as head of committee charged with investigating social security
  • Beveridge Report, 1942, aimed to tackle 'Five Giants' of want, disease, ignorance, squalor, idleness
  • proposed idea of NHS, social insurance from cradle to grave
  • laid foundations of modern welfare state
• Alternative Medicines

  • hypnotherapy - guided relaxation, pain management
  • aromatherapy - therapeutic properties, pain relief, enhanced mood
  • Acupuncture - treats chronic pain, anxiety
• Medical Advancements

  • transplant surgery - 1954, first successful kidney transplant
  • discovery of DNA - 1953, double helix structure, genetic understanding
  • genetic medicine - 2003, Human Genome Project
  • scanning methods - redefining old tech, ensuring precision