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Edwin Chadwick argued that disease was the main cause for poverty, and that preventing disease would improve death/illness rates.
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James Simpson discovered chloroform.
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Semmelweis cut the death of his patients by washing his hands as he strongly believed this was what was spreading disease. He made the other doctors wash their hands in calcium chloride solution before treating their patients.
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The first Public Health Act was introduced due to an epidemic of cholera, however it wasn't all compulsory.
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The vaccination against smallpox was made compulsory and this was especially helpful for poor families.
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Louis Pasteur discovered that germs caused disease by using different flasks and studying the air. This led to pasteurisation of milk, which prevented it from going sour by killing the germs and sealing it from the air. The death of his two daughters pushed Louis to try harder with his work. (FACTOR: Social/Personal genius)
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Jospeh Lister cut the death rate of his patients by spraying instruments and bandages with a 1-in-20 solution of carbolic acid.
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The second Public Health Act was introduced, this time with compulsory laws to do with things like clean water, slum clearance, provision of sewers.
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Robert Koch discovered how to stain and grow bacteria, this allowed many other discoveries to do with germs and bacteria to be made. The rivalry between Koch and Pasteur meant that more discoveries could be made (FACTOR: War)
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Charles Chamberland discovered organisms even smaller than bacteria that caused disease, these were viruses.
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Landsteiner discovered blood groups. Transfusions had been tried before but usually killed the patient because of clotting. Matching blood groups stopped this happening.
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Ehrlick reasoned that if bacteria could be stained then maybe certain chemicals could kill them. Along with his team he made several Magic Bullets - compounds that would have a specific attraction to a disease and it would target them and kill them. 'Salvarsan' was the most succesful, this treated syphilis.