1900-present

• Lifestyle factors

  • Smoking
  • Obesity
  • Alcohol
  • Tanning
• Diagnosis

  • Blood tests
  • Better x-rays
  • Ultrasound
  • CT
  • MRI
  • Blood pressure monitors
  • Blood sugar monitors
• Penicillin

  • Fleming discovered in 1928
  • Mould/fungus was killing the bacteria
  • Florey and Chain start to mass produce, difficult at first, limited resources and money
  • American funding - 1941+ (WW2) - mass produce
  • GB funding - 1943+
  • After WW2, the cost fell - more accessible for general use
• Magic Bullets

  • Chemically made
  • Ehrlich - Salvarsan 606
  • Domagk - Prontosil - active ingredient was a sulphonamide - led to more using this ingredient
  • Serious side effects though
• Radiotherapy

  • Using x-rays and gamma rays
• Chemotherapy


  • Using drugs to reduce tumours
• The NHS (1948)

  • Before healthcare was limited - many couldn't afford
  • 1942 - Beveridge's report stated the need for a national health service
  • Free at the point of use - paid for by National Insurance
  • All hospitals joined in 1948
  • Improved further in the 1960s - greater access and a GP Charter
  • A&E, maternity, surgery, pharmacies, GPs, dentists etc.
• The Government's Role

  • Vaccination campaigns
  • Lifestyle campaigns
  • Clean Air Acts for air pollution
  • Change4Life to tackle obesity
  • Drinkaware
• Blood transfusions, blood groups and storage

  • Blood loss during surgery used to be fatal, advancements prevented this
• Transplants


  • First heart transplant in 1967
  • Greater transplant research in the 1970s+ has made them more successful

  
• Keyhole surgery

  • Less invasive, surgical cameras etc.
• Robot-assisted surgery


  • Makes smaller cuts - less scarring etc.
• Both keyhole surgery and robot-assisted surgery increase precision in surgery
• Lung cancer is a disease that was much more common after 1900 than before
• The battle against lung cancer is an example of science and technology and government campaigns working side by side
• Bronchoscopy


  Take a sample of suspected cells
• Chemotherapy


  Combination of several drugs injected into the bloodstream
• CT scans

  Detailed images of the lungs
• Chest x-rays


  Can show if there is anything on the lung that shouldn't be there
• Advances in science and technology have made it easier to diagnose lung cancer
• Surgery


  Removing the affected lung
• Radiotherapy


  Directing radiation at the lungs
• Advances in science and technology have made it easier to treat lung cancer
• Government Campaigns

  • 1950+ - the government warned people of the risk
  • 1965 - cigarette adverts were banned from TV
  • 1971 - health warning on packets
  • 2007 - banned smoking in public places
  • 2015 - plain packaging
  • NHS TV adverts - encourage to stop
• Lung cancer became common by the 1940s
• 20% of all cancer deaths in the UK are due to lung cancer
• 90% of lung cancer cases can be linked to tobacco smoking
• The link between smoking and lung cancer was proven in 1950