Medicine through time

By Anna_Banana_:)
  • 1250

    Regimen Sanitatis

    The regimen Sanitatis was widespread
  • Period: 1250 to 1500

    Medieval period

    1250 AD- 1500 AD
  • 1278

    Bleeding

    Court records show that William Le Palmer collapsed due to too much bleeding, a common treatment for disease in the 13th Century and the medieval period in general.
  • 1307

    1237-1307

    Edward I touched 2000 people a year, as it was believed the King's touch cured disease, like Scrofula, because the King is divinely appointed.
  • 1348

    The Black Death

    The Black Death arrives in England and 25 million people die (1/3 of Europe's population).
  • 1448

    The Printing Press

    Johannes Gutenberg invents the printing press, allows him to print 180 books in 3 years.
  • 1500

    End of medieval period

    An estimated 1,100 hospitals in England
  • 1500

    Start of the Renaissance Period

    1500-1700
  • Period: 1500 to

    Renaissance Period

  • 1512

    The Savoy

    Henry VII opens his famous hospital the Savoy. It had enough beds to give each patient their own bed, a change form the past when patients usually shared beds.
  • 1526

    Paraceleus: The cause of disease

    Paraceleus theorised that disease was caused by problems with 'chemicals' inside the body.
  • 1536

    Dissolution of the monasteries

    The dissolution of the monasteries in England, meant most of the hospitals (commonly based in monasteries or abbeys) ,were shut down.
  • 1543

    Versalius: Human Anatomy

    Versalius published: 'On the fabric of the human body' ,disproving Galen 300 times and including diagrams.
  • 1545

    Paré: Preventing infection

    Paré published his books on treating illness in French not Latin (accessible to all) detailing the use of turpentine, egg yolk and rosewater, preventing the infection of bullet wounds , and using ligatures to prevent bleeding after amputation.
  • 1546

    Fracastoro: Cause of disease

    Fracastoro theorised that disease was caused by seeds in the air in his text 'On contagion'.

  • Harvey: Circulatory system

    Harvey published 'De motu Cordis' proving blood is carried from the heart by the arteries and returned by the veins, disproving Galen, who thought blood was produced in the liver.

  • Van Helmont: Digestion

    Van Helmont claims digestion occurs because of stomach acid, nothing to do with the 4 humours.

  • The microscope

    Van Leeuwenhoek invents the microscope with 200x magnification

  • Royal Society is formed

    The Royal Society meets in London for the first time, and starts to publish the first Scientific journal: 'philosophical transactions'

  • The Great Plague

    The Great Plague arrives in London and kills 69,000 people in London, within the year.

  • Robert Hooke: Micorgraphia

    Robert Hooke publishes Micrographia- the first book in English to show observations under a microscope, after he improved the microscope.

  • Thomas Sydenham

    Thomas Sydenham published 'observations Medicae' and becomes known as the English Hippocrates for his beliefs in Scientific causes over supernatural and the concept that multiple symptoms could be caused by 1 disease.

  • Van Leeuwenhoek: Animalcules

    Van Leeuwenhoek discovers animalcules in plaque.
  • Period: to

    Industrial period

  • Inoculations

    Lady Montague gives her children small pox inoculations after seeing them done in the Ottoman Empire.

  • Vaccine for Smallpox

    Edward Jenner discovers the smallpox vaccine, after giving James Phipps cowpox, to test his theory, he published his discovery in1798.

  • Laughing Gas

    Humphrey Davy discovers nitrous-oxide (laughing gas) is a pain killer.

  • Inoculations against smallpox

    100,000 people inoculated against smallpox

  • Beliefs in cause of disease

    Spontaneous generation is considered the cause of disease

  • Royal Jennerian Society

    The Royal Jennerian Society forms, after the Royal Society refuses to support Jenner's discovery, in an attempt to eradicate smallpox by vaccination. Supported by the picne and princess of Wales.

  • Smallpox Vaccinations by 1805

    12,000 people vaccinated for smallpox in England, and Napoleon has his whole army vaccinated.

  • Cholera Epidemic

  • Government funded Vaccines

    Government agrees to provide children with vaccines with taxpayers money.

  • Ether

    William Clarke uses ether as an anaesthetic.

  • Nitrous Oxide and dentistry

    Dentist Horace Wells uses nitrous oxide (laughing gas) as an anaesthetic, becomes common in dentistry.

  • Sanitary Surgery

    Ignaz Semmelweiss order his students to wash their hands before surgery.

  • First Public Health Act

    First public Health Act in Britain: Local Authourities could make improvements, and could borrow money to make improvements but it was not mandatory.

  • United Kingdom Vaccination Act

    United Kingdom Vaccination: Made it mandatory to vaccinate all babies form smallpox before the age of one. By 1860 2/3 of babies were vaccinated.

  • Nursing and the Crimean War

    The Crimean War: Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole revolutionise nursing, turning it into a respected profession. Florence Nightingale ,made people clean up wards, and nurses provide the soldiers with clean bedding and good metals. Mortality rates dropped from 40% to 2% within 6 weeks.

  • John Snow: Ghost Map

    John Snow proves the link between the Broad Street pump and the spread of Cholera with the Ghost Map.

  • Queen Victoria and Chloroform

    Queen Victoria publicly advocates the use of Chloroform, after using it with her 8th child in 1857 and earlier in 1853. Her anaesthetist was John Snow.

  • The Great Stink

  • Bazalgette and the Sewer

    Joseph Bazalgette designed sewer pipes in London after the Great Stink. He designed them to cope with a huge population (even functions today with over 9 million users)

  • 'Notes on Nursing'

    Nightingale publishes 'Notes on Nursing' improving Healthcare in hospitals.

  • Germ Theory

    Germ Theory developed by Louis Pasteur whilst the was working on a method to keep wine fresh- changing the whole understanding of how illness is caused.

  • Lister: Carbolic Acid

    Lister uses Carbolic Acid in surgeries for the first time

  • Lister: Carbolic Acid Spray

    Lister begins to use Carbolic Acid Spray during surgery to fight infection reduces the casualty rate of his operations from 46% patients dying to 15% of patients dying.

  • Second Public Health Act

    Changes made by the first public health act are made compulsory, major requirement is that sewers must be moved away form housing and houses must be a certain distance apart;

  • Robert Koch: Anthrax

    Robert Koch discovers the Bacteria that causes Anthrax

  • Public Health Improvements

    Public Health Improvements in the UK, the government introduced new laws against the pollution of rivers, the sale of poor quality food and new buildign regulation were enforced.

  • Pasteur: Vaccines

    Pasteur began working on creating vaccine

  • Blood pressure monitors

    Von Basch invents blood pressure monitors.

  • Robert Koch: Causes of disease

    Robert Koch establishes a new method of straining bacteria, using Koch's method the causes of many diseases were identified.
    -1880 Typhus
    -1882 Tuberculosis
    -1883 Cholera
    -1884 Tetanus
    -1886 Tetanus
    -1887 Pneumonia
    -1887 Meningitis
    -1894 Dysentry

  • X-Rays

    William Rotengen discovers X-Rays

  • The RAMC

    The Royal Army Medical Corps is founded
  • Period: to

    Modern Period

  • Blood Groups

    Karl Landsteiner discovers blood groups

  • FANY

    First Aid Nursing Yeomanry is founded

  • The first Magic Bullet

    Paul Erlich discovers the first magic bullet to treat Syphilis, with Hata, creating Salvarsan 606.

  • National Insurance

    National Insurance is introduced in Britain to provide medical care for workers.

  • Anti-tetanus Jabs

    Anti-tetanus jabs are brought in but gangrene still kills

  • Hill 60

    Hill 60: Germany took control of a manmade Hill, the British tunnelled under the hill, placing 5 mines and blowing the top off.
  • Period: to

    World War One

    Western Front Medicine

  • First Battle of Ypres

  • First British Death

    First British Death- John Parr (age 17)

  • Keynes: Portable Blood Transfusions

    Geoffrey Keynes discovered a way to provide blood transfusions at Casualty Clearing Stations (portable kits) and prevents clotting.

  • Lewison: Preventing Blood Clots

    Lewison discovered adding Sodium Citrate allowed blood to be stored for 2 days.

  • The Brody Helmet

    The Brody Helmet is introduced : Head injuries reduced by 80%, meaning head injuries only made up 20% of deaths.

  • Chlorine Gas

    The first use of Chlorine Gas, by the Germans (kills 50,000 Brits)

  • Phosgene Gas

    First use of Phosgene gas, kills quicker than Chlorine, responsible for 85% of gas deaths
  • Period: to

    Second Battle of Ypres

  • The Thomas Splint

    Introduction of the Thomas Splint brought deaths from broken legs down by 82% =, invented by Hugh Owen Thomas.

  • Underground Hospital of Arras

    Opening of the underground Hospital at Arras. It has 700 beds, a waiting room, operating room, rest spaces and a mortuary, all contained within 800m of underground tunnels.
  • Period: to

    Battle of the Somme

  • Mustard Gas

    Germany's first use of Mustard Gas, it kills within 12 hours, much quicker than Phosgene.

  • Marie Curie and X-Rays

    Marie Curie invents the portable X-Ray machine, 10 mini Curies on the Western Front.

  • Blood Transfusions and CCS

    Blood Transfusions are being given at Casualty Clearing Stations.

  • Third Battle of Ypres

  • The Battle of Cambrai

    Oswald Robinson used 22 Litres of 26 day old blood to save 11 out of 20 Canadian Soldiers.

  • End of WW1

    By the end of WW1, 240,000 men had amputations.

  • Fleming and Penicillin

    Alexander Fleming discovers Penicillin. The mould had grown on a penicillin that was accidentally left out. Fleming writes articles about Penicillin, but was unable to properly develop the mould into a drug.

  • Second Magic Bullet

    Discovery of the Second Magic Bullet by Gerhard Domagk, called Prontosil for blood poisoning.
  • Period: to

    Florey and Chain and Penicillin

    Florey and Chain work on producing Penicillin as a drug. They had to grow massive amounts of mould, in milk churns, bed pans and a bath tub. In 1941, the first human trial was Albert Alexander -who had staphylococcus and streptococcus and died- but was evidence Penicillin worked. The drug was the second most funded project by the USA in WW2. They fund it with around $800 million and every soldier landing on D-Day in1944 had penicillin as part of their medical kit.

  • The Emergency Hospital Scheme

    The Emergency Hospital Scheme begins, creating a state-run network of free hospital services organised by the ministry of health during WW2, giving central government control over voluntary and municipal hospital. By March 1941, 80% of hospitals were included in the scheme and around 430,000 beds.

  • Developments in Cancer treatments: Chemotherapy

    Chemotherapy is developed form mustard gas to cure cancer

  • The national Immunisation against Diptheria

    The national Immunisation against Diphtheria launched. By the end of 1942, 1/3 of all children under 15 were vaccinated in England and Wales and 1/2 in Scotland.

  • The Beveridge Report

    William Beveridge publishes the Beveridge report. The report was the blueprint for the NHS. The Beveridge Report proposes a system of social insurance from 'Cradle to grave'.

  • Streptomycin

    Selman Waksten discovered Streptomycin, an antibiotic to treat tuberculosis. The discovery won the 1952 Noble prize for physiology. Important discovery as Tuberculosis was a major killer, between 1851 and 1910, around 4 million died form TB in UK.

  • Penicillin at D-day

    Enough doses of Penicillin to treat all allied forces at D-Day , with 2.3 million doses administered.

  • National Health Service Act

    The National Health Service Act: provides a free and comprehensive health service. Aneurin Bevan convinces 90% of private doctors to enrol.

  • The beginning of the NHS

    First Day of the NHS. Hospital were nationalised Health centres were set up and doctors were more evenly distributed around the country, however the population and costs of NHS rapidly spiralled out of control. The £2 million put aside to pay for free spectacles over the first 9 months of the NHS went in 6 weeks, the Government had estimated costs would be £140 million a year by 1950, but by 1950 ,the NHS cost £358 million a year in 1950.

  • 'Photograph 51'

    Rosalind Franklin took 'Photograph 51', proving the double helix structure of DNA.

  • Developments in Cancer treatments: Radiotherapy

    First use of radiation in Hammersmith hospital

  • Crick and Watson: Structure of DNA

    Crick and Watson determine the structure of DNA (double helix), and creates a model (Published 25th April 1953) based on Franklin's 'Photograph 51' and X-Ray crystallography.

  • The Polio Vaccine is introduced

  • The Clean Air Act

    The Clean Air Act is passed to improve air quality in the UK, a major problem in large cities. As shown in the 1952, The Great Smog in London, which killed around 4,000 people.

  • The Contraceptive Pill is introduced

  • The First Heart Transplant

    The first Heart transplant occurred, in 2023 around 200 occur successfully annually in the UK and a total of 3,500 transplants occur worldwide.

  • Developments in Cancer treatments: Immunotherapy

    Immunotherapy begins to have success in treating cancer

  • Deaths to Lung Cancer

    A record number of deaths to lung cancer is recorded: 26,000

  • The first MRI Scan is done in Hospitals

  • The first 'test tube' or IVF baby is born

  • Developments in Cancer treatments: Lung transplants

    First lung transplant: 1979
    2023: 200 successful lung transplants a year

  • Developments in medical treatment

    Increase in use of Keyhole surgery, using endoscopes and ultrasound scanning, allowed minimally invasive surgery.

  • Government Campaigns to improve Public Health

    Government Campaigns to reduce smoking, binge drinking and unprotected sex.
    -In 1990: 30% of adults smoke
    -In 2003: 25% of adults smoke
  • Period: to

    The Human Genome Project

    The Human Genome Project, by April 2003, 92% of the genome was mapped. The project cost $2.7 billion, and included researchers from across the globe:
    -Allows genetic disease to be seen
    -Allows research into cures

  • The national Organ register is created

  • Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act

    Bans ads for smoking on:
    -Billboards
    -Print media
    -Direct mail
    -Internet Advertising
    The EU start to require large health warnings on packets, warning against:
    -Addiction
    -Heart Attack s
    -Strokes
    -etc.

  • Legal age to buy cigarettes

    Government raises legal age to buy cigarettes to 18 form 16.

  • Smoking is banned in the Workplace

  • Period: to

    Lung cancer

    From 2016 to 2018: There were 48,549 cases of lung cancer, 79% were avoidable .

  • Opt-out Organ donation system is introduced

  • Developments in Cancer treatments: Vaccines

    Partnership with UK Government and BioNTechSE to produce cancer vaccines, 10,000 people trial by 2030.
    The HPV vaccine is a successful cancer vaccine which has been given since 2006 in the UK.

  • Smoking in 2023

    -Only 13.3% of adults smoke in the UK, 6.6 million people
    -Around 76,000 people a year die from smoking and associated illness.