1900 - present

• New technology (electron microscopes, X-rays) helped scientists discover that every cell in the body has DNA - codes controlling genes. Team of scientists worked together e.g. Watson, Crick, Franklin and worked out the double helix structure of DNA (1953). In 1990, Watson led the Human Genome Project to identify and map every gene in human DNA.
• Discovery of DNA was important as better understanding of some genetic conditions e.g. Down’s syndrome; predict if some people are more likely to get get certain cancers; discovery that stem cells can be grown into different cells. But there is no cure/treatment/prevention for most genetic conditions/diseases yet.
• smoking: linked to many diseases e.g. heart disease, cancer

  drinking alcohol: drinking too much linked to cancer, liver and kidney disease

  diet: eating balanced diet, limiting sugar and fat reduces chance of getting cancer or heart disease
• laboratories to test skin/blood, x-rays, scans to ‘see’ inside the body e.g. MRI, CT and ultrasound scans, monitors e.g. blood pressure and blood sugar are new technologies that help doctors diagnose illness
• A magic bullet is a chemical compound to attack and kill microbe causing a specific disease.
• Paul Ehrlich led a research team trying to cure syphilis by testing compounds of Salvarsan. Dr Hata found the compound in 1909. In 1932, Domagk found the 2nd magic bullet, prontosil, to cure some types of blood poisoning
• The key ingredient in Prontosil was sulphonamide. It could cure pneumonia, scarlet fever and meningitis.
• antibiotics destroy bacteria or prevent its growth. Penicillin was the first antibiotic.
• Discovering the chemical structure of different antibiotics meant scientists could make antibiotics rather than having to grow them. Antibiotics have saved millions of lives but due to overuse, super-bacteria (resistant to antibiotics) have evolved.
• Radiotherapy and chemotherapy, kidney dialysis, pacemakers, organ transplants, keyhole surgery and microsurgery, robotic surgery are examples of high tech medical and surgical treatments.
• National Health Service (NHS) was set up in 1948. Free at point of delivery.
• NHS provides GPs, hospital care and operations, ambulances, health advisors for pregnant women and young children, healthcare for the elderly.
• All NHS treatment free so everyone could access same care. But unequal across different parts of the country. Some types of healthcare still difficult to access e.g. not enough NHS dentists.
• Government funded vaccinations include diphtheria (1942), Tetanus (1961), MMR measles mumps and rubella (1988).
• Government funding more testing and vaccinations, better rubbish and sewage disposal, laws reducing air and water pollution, laws banning smoking in public places, environmental health officers inspecting food outlets. Also, government funded campaigns to raise awareness e.g. Change4Life campaign to encourage healthy behaviour.
• Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, 1928. He noticed bacteria in a petri dish was being killed by penicillium mould. He tested it on other bacteria and discovered that mould produced an antibiotic (penicillin). He published his findings but had no funding to continue his research.
• Howard Florey, Ernst Chain and their team continued Flemings research. Penicillin proved effective on mice in 1940, so tested it on humans. It killed bacteria and thus the infection so was a miracle drug. But huge amounts needed to treat just one person so still wasn’t used for medical treatment.
• Florey asked US and UK drug companies and factories to help (some US ones agreed but only on a very small scale).It wasn’t until USA joined WW2 that the US government saw a need for more penicillin to treat casualties and funded 21 companies to mass produce it in 1942. British drug companies began mass production in 1943.
• Symptoms of lung cancer include persistent cough, coughing up blood, breathlessness, tiredness and weight loss. Cancer is often very developed when these symptoms show up. CT scan used to show a mass and then a sample of cells are collected and tested.
• lung cancer is treated by a surgery to remove the tumour or to carry out a lung transplant, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy to shrink the tumour and prevent the cancer returning.
• main cause of lung cancer is smoking or passive smoking.
• All advertising for cigarettes banned, tax on tobacco products regularly increased to make smoking more expensive, in 2007 smoking in public places banned and legal age for buying tobacco products raised to 18, cigarette packaging has graphic warnings of the dangers. These are government attempts to reduce the number of people smoking.