History AQA GCSE Health and the People: A Revolution in Medicine, printable notes made and used by Grade 9 History student. Contains in-depth facts/research covering every aspect of the specification. Includes analytical-response notes, visual aids, and extremely helpful revision aid for making fla...
Health and the People: A Revolution in Medicine
Growth of Hospitals
Changes in Hospitals
The late 18th and early 19th centuries saw big changes in hospitals, which began to change focus from care to
treatment and learning. Important hospital reformers, such as Florence Nightingale, also made a big
difference. The training and status of surgeons changed as well.
Due to the work of reformers like Public pressure led to infirmaries
Nightingale, hospital cleanliness (separate from the workhouses)
and organisation improved, being set up for the poorest
nurses were better trained. within society.
Pasteur’s germ theory led to
improved hygiene.
Nurses were given a more Many new hospitals were built. Specialist hospitals (such as
central role caring for patients By 1860 London alone had 36 asylums for the mentally ill and
and assisting doctors. They were specialist hospitals. Hospitals fever houses for infectious
also trained for the first time, now trained doctors and diseases) developed.
often alongside doctors, in surgeons and often had a
hospitals. dispensary for preparing/giving
out medicines.
Florence Nightingale
Significant in bringing about change in hospitals.
After witnessing high death rates in military hospitals during the Crimean War, she challenged
methods, especially at Scutari.
Changes developed during her time there later saw death rates plummet from 42% to 2%.
Her work was widely reported in newspapers and she published books such as Notes on Nursing and
Notes on Hospitals, which discussed hospital organisation.
After her experience in military hospitals, she went on to set up Britain’s first nurse training school.
Germ Theory
Pasteur
The 19th Century saw great changes in understanding about the causes of disease. The discovery by Pasteur
that germs caused disease changed everything. This became known as germ theory.
Spontaneous generation
Before Pasteur discovered that germs cause disease, doctors had realised that bacteria existed but thought
that the disease caused the bacteria, not the other way round. Known as the theory of spontaneous
generation.
, Pasteur was a French chemist who used experiments with beer and milk to discover small organisms that made
these liquids go off, which he called germs. He invented pasteurisation by working out that a lot of these germs
could be killed off by heating them. In 1865 he was recruited by a silk industry as disease was killing the
silkworms, he realised germs caused disease in animals as well. His work went on to be used by him and other
scientists to develop vaccinations and magic bullets.
He was supported by the Emperor of France and the government, who paid for research assistances and a new
laboratory as they believed his discoveries were making France respected abroad. He used the swan-neck flask
to prove his discovery. Pasteur was working in an alcohol industry when he was intrigued to study alcohol and
saw the two different microorganisms.
Pasteur…
was the first individual to link germs and disease.
proved that disease was spread by germs in the air and that they were all around us.
developed vaccines to target specific diseases.
provided scientific proof that the old theory of spontaneous generation was incorrect.
tried to involve the wider scientific community and the public with his ideas and often gave lectures.
inspired and encouraged the work of other scientists.
figured out why Jenner’s vaccination worked.
welcomed the advancement of science and technology and used them to great success, e.g.
microscope.
invented pasteurisation.
mainly worked in food and drink, so the later work of doctors and surgeons meant the theory was
accepted.
- Pasteur’s studies laid the foundations; the work of people like Koch and Lister meant people
accepted it.
- His work didn’t have much impact in Britain initially
Germ theory
Living microorganisms are found in the air.
Heating microbes can kill them.
Decay is caused by microbes in the air.
Koch and Microbe Hunting
Robert Koch
German doctor who is considered to be the founder of modern bacteriology
Used experiments to prove that specific microorganisms were responsible for causing disease.
Developed a way of staining bacteria so they could be seen under a microscope.
- photography allowed him to take photos of stained bacteria and study them in detail
Awarded a Nobel Prize in 1905.
Koch and anthrax
Koch used scientific experiments to prove that the bacteria Bacillus anthracis caused anthrax.
He took the bacillus from a sheep which had died of the disease and injected it into a mouse, which
also caught the disease.
Once Koch had repeated this he was able to convince people that bacteria caused disease.
Following this discovery he could go on to identify the bacillus that caused tuberculosis. TB was a
highly infectious disease and one of the biggest killers at the time.
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