Medicine in the Modern England 1900 - Present

• The Government


  • Invested money to allow for research
  • Created the National Health Service
  • Led campaigns to raise awareness of lifestyle factors
• Education


  • Doctors are educated in new ideas
  • Understand the causes of disease well
• Attitudes


  • Science has been embraced by most people
  • People are willing to use effective treatments
  • People are aware of how behaviour can contribute to disease
• Individuals


  • Led to many key discoveries especially for treatments and vaccines
  • Improved prevention
  • Discovered DNA and worked on new vaccines
• Science and technology


  • Advanced equipment for new treatments
  • Scientists have carried out research like taking an image of DNA
  • Mass production of antibiotics due to advancements in technology
• Alexander Flemming


  Accidentally discovered penicillin
• Florey and Chain


  • Worked on penicillin to prove it could effectively treat infections
  • Used it to treat wounded soldiers in WWII
• Crick and Watson (and Franklin)

  Discovered the structure of DNA
• Aneurin Bevin


  Labour politician who was vital in founding the NHS
• Seebohm Rowntree published a book linking poverty with ill healthy


  1901
• Paul Ehrlich developed the first 'magic bullet' which could kill harmful bacteria, Salvarsan 606


  1909
• National Insurance Act required workers and employers to pay into a sick fund to allow workers to access healthcare if sick for 26 weeks free


  1911
• Electron microscope invented


  1931
• Flemming discovers penicillin


  1928
• Florey & Chain prove penicillin can treat infections


  1941
• NHS created


  1949
• Structure of DNA discovered by Crick & Watson (and Franklin)


  1953
• Polio vaccine


  1954
• First heart transplant is carried out in South Africa by Dr. Christiaan Bernard


  1967
• Chemotherapy developed to treat cancer

  1970s
• Health of the Nation Campaign by the Government to prevent and reduce deaths from diseases like cancer and heart disease


  1992
• Human genome project completed, listing every human gene and its purpose

  2001