Ok enough of Lister, lets move on.
People make a big difference to the history of medicine. But, people and individual moments of brilliance are not the only reason we have progress in the history of medicine.
How have factors like teamwork, science and technology, government, money, religion, war and chance helped bring progress.
Which factor has helped and hindered medicine the most?
How has the government improved medicine? Or do they only care about our health so that we can pay taxes and win wars?
Has religion helped medicine or did it just prevent progress?
Imagine if we did not have technology like the printing press or microscope. Without it would there have been as much progress?
24 comments:
I think that the factor of war has made one of the biggest contributions to the development of surgery especially.
Lets go back to a certain surgeon working on the battle field. In desperation, he mixed together a paste of egg yolk, rose water and turpentine and applied this to his patient. Ambroise Pare would never have done this had he not been a surgeon during the war, as he had patients in desperate need of help and he had run out of boiling oil to cauterise the wound with.
Also, where else, if not in a warzone, would he have had the opportunity to experiment even further with his rose-egg paste? There were many men suffering from gun-shot wounds.
Then let’s think about the Pasteur and Koch - the French and Germans were at war at the time these two were doing their research in their own countries - the government gave them even more funding just because of the rivalry of the two countries at war.
Lastly think about the World Wars in the last century...
X-rays were discovered before World War I and were extremely useful for surgeons to locate bullets and shrapnel lodged in wounded men.
the same goes for blood transfusion - a way of storing blood was discovered during the war, when the need to have quantities of blood at hand in order to save lives of wounded soldiers meant that a major breakthrough had occurred - scientists had been trying to carry out transfusions since the 1800's.
Finally in World War I, many soldiers suffered serious burns and required skin grafts - plastic surgery. It wasn't until the war that this procedure was further developed.
Penicillin was largely ignored till the Second World War started, when its potential to save many lives was realised in a time when many people were losing their lives.
War is important in the development of medicine.
Can anyone else think of any examples I have missed?
I also think the war was a very important factor because a lot of soldiers were dying and getting injured in the war, this made the government want to call surgeons to help the soldiers and it also made them want to invest in surgery. This gave surgeons a great chance to perform their surgeries with so many soldiers needing help.
Technology also made a big contribution to the development of surgery because it made surgeries easier to perform and safer to practice.
I think technology and the war both should get the same amount of credit because without one of them surgery would not be the same.
technology has contributed a huge amount to the history of medicine because it has always mamged to develop a new idea which has been found and such ideas are still used know
also if it was not for war scientist and surgeons would not get the funding from the government that was required because they persuaded them that it will and they would
I think that war was a big factor which made a huge impact.
With desperation many people came up with new kinds of ideas in science. They knew the government will help because he or she would not want their country destroyed. They needed more soldiers because more of them were dieing of minor injuries.
Teamwork was another role played. Withour teamwork no one would be able to achieve anything. For example Alexandra Flemming discovered mould which grew around his petri dish which he saved & wrote about. Then Chain & Howard came to help. They had the money & research team which helped Alexandra Flemming realise that he had found a new discovery by chance.
However, without technology we would not know what radio therepy is or ny other technology which is used today.
By Farida
I think that war and technology were both important factors for surgery. Although war is a more of stronger factor. For example war allowed surgeons such as Pasteur and Koch to develop their knowledge and experience by goverment funding.They were able to see different types of injuries so they could find more cures and treatments... This led to creating equipment to treat these injuries therefor war and technology are hand in hand. So this is why i have made my decision that war was more significant
Hi everyone,
Ok, I think every factor Mrs. Shaheen has listed are just as important as each other. Without one we could not have the other. So I will be looking at every individual and then looking at which factor helped the most times.
I will start from the renaissance era as this where the real discoveries and ideas were starting to build.
Andreas Vesalius produced the very first highly detailed book called ‘the fabric of the human body’. He also had an artist work with him to produce the most highly accurate 3-D drawings of the human body. The book could not have not been achieved without teamwork from the artist. However the real success of his book was achieved through technology because if it wasn’t for the printing press, his ideas could not have spread around the world, quickly and efficiently as well as all being the same. If it was not for technology, Vesalius would not have got where he was today. He also challenged Galen’s theories and proved many of them wrong which helped the country to move on from the dark ages. As well as having technology it was also money and hard work and determination. Andreas Vesalius had a lot of money because he came from a very wealthy background as his grandfathers were all physicians. However he also worked very hard to get where he was, no doubt about that. He made poured his heart into his work and ensured that every detail and his research was very accurate and right. He also went as far as to steal bodies from the cemetery to learn about the human body. So Money, Teamwork and Technology helped Vesalius. However he did have a lot of heavy criticism which led to leave Padua.
William Harvey proved the heart acted as a pump and by vivisection and dissection. He also proved the body had a one way system for the blood. He also published the ‘Anatomical account of motion of the heart and blood book’. He also proved that blood wasn’t just made up all the time like Galen had said. He was also a physician for King Charles so again he didn’t face opposition for his ideas. I don’t think any factor really helped him apart from his knowledge and fairly rich upbringing, and hard work .So Money helped William Harvey.
Ambroise Pare helped a lot of wounded soldiers by stopping the old cruel way of cauterizing and pouring boiling oil on the people’s gunshot wounds. However his idea was pure genius as well as the factor of war helping him. If it was not for the war he would not have had to come across such problems and solved them and we would not have such advanced ideas on gunshot wounds. He also created synthetic limbs for those wounded in the war. His achievement helped a lot. However I feel he could have improved his ideas if he had known about infection as, he sometimes unknowingly killed his patients through ligatures which infected the patient deep into the wound. Pare didn’t receive a lot of criticism for his work as he worked for reigning monarchs at the time, and thus became a very familiar face. Had he had a lot of opposition he would not have been so successful. This was one hardship he never went through. So Money and War helped Ambroise Pare.
These three people did not save lives. Although Pare’s ideas did they are outdated today.
Edward Jenner then created a vaccination for Small pox. He received a lot of opposition but pulled through. He did not have teamwork or money for his ideas. It was chance. However the factor of Government helped him because if they hadn’t supported him the disease would not have been eradicated and he would not be remembered today. So for Jenner the factors were Government and chance.
Louis Pasteur published the germ theory. He had carried out a series of tests on beer, milk and wine and discovered there were germs in there. However he was paid and had the support of the French government and if it wasn’t for them, he would not have got where he was. Had they not offered him this job, he would not have discovered anything. He then vaccinated a lot of illnesses such as Rabies; Anthrax, cholera E.t.c Cholera was affecting a lot of people so ultimately he saved a lot of lives by discovering this. Had he not have had the teamwork of the scientist, maybe he would not have been as successful and his ideas would definitely not have expanded. He had come from a poor background and therefore received a lot of opposition. Teamwork also helped to spread his ideas as other scientists that his theories were correct. However had he not have had the microscope, he would not have been able to see the germs. So the factors of Government, Money, Teamwork, chance and Technology helped him.
Joseph Lister built upon pastures ideas; however he never received any credit or recognition from the government to help him with his theory. He didn’t need technology to help him. It was determination and also chance. So for him it was Previous knowledge and
Robert Koch worked very hard to get a university place and then went on to discover diseases like septicaemia and TB. He did not have technology to help, there were no microscopes powerful enough to help him. However without Petri dishes he could not have grown the diseases to identify them. The German Government also supported him, and without them he would not have got as far as he did He had a whole team of scientists and researchers behind him and were supported b y large public and private funds and without this he could not have carried out the extensive research he had. So for Koch it was, Teamwork, Government, Money and previous ideas which he built upon.
Karl Landsteiner the discovered blood groups. Albert Hustin then found a way of storing blood because soldiers were losing blood on the battle field. This was done completely from scratch and if it was not for the war the need for storing blood would not have been a major problem. He must have needed a microscope o look at the blood, so technology helped him and War helped him.
Wilhelm Rontgen then discovered a light that could pass through human flesh and identify diseases and broken bones as well as bullets which would penetrate soldier’s skin causing deaths.WWI had a big impact on the use of X-rays as it was their funding and Marie Curie’s persistence which caused X-rays to be used all over the countries. Although technology was a major factor, War and Money helped a lot.
Marie Curie then developed from the X-ray machine. She worked very hard with her husband and risked her own life and eventually died of leukaemia through the close contact of radium. Technology, Teamwork and Previous ideas helped Marie Curie.
Plastic Surgery first recorded in 1917 by Sir Harold Gillies who performed it on an injured British soldier. Gillies then persuaded the army’s Chief surgeon to open a ward dedicated to this problem. Lots of surgeons helped and Gilies original knowledge came from other surgeon. Although it had been carried out for century’s pain and infection caused doctors to stop. However know that Listers idea and nitrous oxide could combat these ideas they appeared more frequently. War helped to improve the technique as 11000 operations were carried out. Had it not been for injuries in the war, we would not have had such advanced plastic surgery today. Although today it is used as a means of regaining youth rather than saving lives. So for Plastic Surgery it was Teamwork, War and previous ideas.
Christiaan Banaard performed the first ever heart transplant. 30 people helped him and it lasted for nine hours. He built of previous knowledge of other transplants. So for Banaard it was Technology, Teamwork and previous ideas.
Anaesthetics were first discovered by William Morton, then Sir Humphrey Davy, James Simpson E.t.c. No one used each other’s ideas but for most people it was just chance e.g. Sir Davy and James Simpson. Improved anaesthetics today are mainly due to technology, because they can work out the right dosage and whether or not it’s safe. So for Anaesthetics it was Chance and Technology which has helped develop it.
Georg Kelling was the first person to perform keyhole surgery on a dog and Hans Christian Jacobaeus on a human. This idea has revolutionized the way surgeries are carries out today. If it was not for technology this idea could not have been carried out. However if Kelling had not carried out the first one on a dog, Hand could not have progressed the idea. So it was also teamwork even though they may not have worked together. So for Keyhole surgery it was Teamwork and Technology.
Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillium by chance but had the brains to keep it because he knew of its properties. However Ernst Chain and Howards Florey then went on to research and work together to develop this idea. They also received a lump sum of $5000 to help them. Technology also helped to mass produce their products. They also must have used a microscope to help them. The war in Africa helped to save soldiers lives and spread the good work of Penicillin. So for Fleming it was Chance and for Florey and Ernst it was Money, Teamwork, War and Technology.
After all that it was a very close match between technology and Teamwork. However the more technology grew the bigger the improvement in medicine. War only helped a few ideas compared to technology. Previous ideas were also a big help as very few ideas were developed in isolation and then were outdated.
The factor that has helped medicine is Technology and Teamwork because together they achieved a, lot more progress and technology helped prevent deaths and scarring. It also helped identify minor problems which would have been thought of as major before technology was invented. If we did not have technology we would have still been stuck in the middle ages. Thank goodness we have. Times without technology was a very tough period which caused pain, blood loss and DEATHS over minor problems. We have an amazing quality of life due to technology. Although this privilege is also abused in modern society.
The factor that hindered medicine was religion in the Dark Ages. If it had not then medicine would be improved a, lot more today. However it has helped improve medicine because all the major books taught people how to keep clean and many people had a better quality of life due to this.
The government hasn’t improved medicine but has maintained the ideas and put in place health and regulations. They obviously do care about taxes because that’s what they use to help the country again. The higher the tax the better government can do to help its people. They do need to definitely care about their soldiers as this is the way they protect the country, but if they only wanted to protect their country they would only treat soldiers to the best medicine and surgery but they don’t. They see everyone as equal. We are very lucky our government gives free healthcare although we do pay tax for it. If they didn’t help as such then people who weren’t working or were poor wouldn’t be helped. This way everyone is treated equally. I think it’s nice to know if I wasn’t working for whatever reason I could still rely on the NHS whereas in other countries I couldn’t.
To conclude without chances and flukes we would not have a lot of our ideas, without ideas we would not have had teamwork, without teamwork we could not have developed technology ,without technology we would not have developed ideas to such intensity , without developed ideas and technology we would not have such an amazing quality of life.
Sorry for the essay everyone.... but BEAT THAT!
Hello
Maaria do not apologise for the essay. It was very refreshing to read an A* essay. Just wish everybody was putting in as much effort into their posts. Well done. Am feeling really ill and logged on and feel better after reading your brilliant post.
As Maaria has clearly outlined different factors work together. Rarely is one factor the only one which has caused or influenced progress.
I agree different factors are just as important as each other but at different times. Religion was very important in the Ancient World and during the Middle Ages. But the factor of religion was not as important in the 17th-20th centuries as technology was.
Harvey did benefit from the factor of technology – the new water pumps which were used to put out fires gave him the inspiration for his theory that the heart works like a pump.
For Pare the factors of chance and individual are important. By chance he ran out of burning oil. It was pure luck that he had eggs, oil of roses, and turpentine with him. By chance he made the ointment and it worked. Also he needs to be credited for not panicking and improvising and then writing about his new ointment. So the factor of chance and individual are important for Pare.
Again well done on your brilliant post!
THANKYOU!
snap im feelin ill too.you coming in tommorow?
and are u sure its an a star cuz all ma posts seem to be.ur not jus trying to make me feel betta r u ans stop me having anoter go at you lol?
I think war and technology were the most important factors that helped medicine progress further.During World War one because of the rising number of injured soldiers more surgeons were needed.The government called more surgeons to help the injured surgeons because of the war were able to use differnt types of treatments and methords and were able to perfect them,they were also able to find different cures for the injured so they could help them more quicker and more effectively this led to new types of technolgy being made like for example the x-ray.
god! why does everyone talk about the x - ray , there were other inventions lol
Hey everyone.
Just reading all your posts! They're all really good, and its a good chance of learning how to formulate your arguements. its a good practice for learning how to write your essays.
i'm being moved from this computer now but maariya, some outstanding work from you, i especially liked your conclusion:
"To conclude without chances and flukes we would not have a lot of our ideas, without ideas we would not have had teamwork, without teamwork we could not have developed technology ,without technology we would not have developed ideas to such intensity , without developed ideas and technology we would not have such an amazing quality of life."
loved it.
keep it up
I think that the factors of War and Technology were both very important because many soldiers were injured and hurt in World War 1 and they need to be treated so they had surgery. Millions of people died so many the number of soldiers decreased so due to this more soldiers need to be recruited and the hurt and wounded ones had to get recovered quickly. Technology also improved due to the fact that the Government gave funds to the hospitals so that they could improve the technology so that more soldiers could be treated quickly. X-rays were discovered before World War 1 and this was a big advantage because the surgeons could do x-rays to look at the bodies of the soldiers and look at the wounds.
In my opinion i think that war and technology had the biggest impact on medicine.
War helped bring progress, an example to prove this is the blood transfusions.As soldiers were dying due to blood loss they needed blood so more surgeons were called by the government to help the injured soldiers.As more soldiers needed help surgeons were able to perfect their methods and they then understood how to store blood as they didnt before and their patients were dying due to their blood clotting.Due to war surgeons had the chance to practice their methods and perfect them.Without the war surgeons wouldnt have the chance to do this and so patients would have keept on dying and surgeons wouldnt have a clue why.So practice makes perfect!
Technology also had a impact on the history of medicine.Without keyhole surgeries we would have large wounds,scarring,blood loss and pain would be a problem.The discovery of x-rays meant that surgeons could just look at the problem inside of your body withoout having to cut you up to see what is wrobg with you.
i also think the war was the biggest contribution because of surgery start progressing more when lots of people where injured in the war therefore lots of surgeons had a chance to test things on different people and see what cures things and what dosent but also technology was useful beacause it makes it much easier to see what is the problem and fix it quickly for example if your arm is broken but you think its just a little minor pain but if you xray it you will find what is wrong with it and you can fix it before anything else gose wrong..........
hi
I think the main factor was technology becuase without many inventions would have been incomplete and may be not even have progressed from the research stage. Technology has made it possible to create various equipment which led to the development of some serious breakthroughs.
But i also understand that war contributed to the develoment of technology through investments and by pushing surgeons and scientists to keep trying and working. Some discoveries were made by small time people but bexcause of the desperation due to war the government gave the resources to keep the study going.
So i think its safe to say that war and technology came together as a mega factor to ensure discoveries were made.
i think that war has had a massive impact on surgery because without the wounds of these soldiers and injuries it wouldn't have given the surgeons the chance to operate and improve with their surgery skills.technology has also had a massive impact, because technology has improved so much they can now do things that they did not dream about 50 years ago.they can now look through peoples bodies using x rays and they can now also put cameras into peoples bodies which can be moved around the body.in WW1
many soldiers lost their lives due to blood loss so the soldiers needed blood transfusions.this factor of treatment helped save many lives because people would donate blood and given it to the injured.
technology has also improved surgery because before barber surgeons would just amputate amputate and amputate.this method was causing blood loss infections and pain.many lives were lost because of this especially with the infection problem many lives were lost because surgeries were taken publicly so many germs were in the surroundings.now that we have modern technology we can save many lives because we can now have heart transplants when we need them ,blood transfusions when we need them.this is because we now know exactly how the body works and all the different blood groups to complete the transfusions.
Usman, Neelam and Shamus
Check your comments carefully and be more specific. Give clear examples - Pare French army surgeon - new treatments for gun shot wounds.
WW1 - x rays, WW2 penicillin plastic surgery.
GIVE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES
Also think about how war has caused regress and destroyed public health for example, war destroyed the Roman public health facilities.
I think war had a massive impact on surgery because x rays were improved in world war 1 Surgeons needed to locate were bullets were. Plastic surgery was also carried out on the burnt and disfigured soldiers, without war surgeons wouldnt have a chance to practise and improve their methods. Technology has also made a impact on surgery. X rays ment surgeons could look in the body with out it being cut open. Also technology like radiation therapy was found as a treatnent for cancer, because of technology people lifes can be saved they can have a heart transplant and blood transfusion when needed scientist discovered blood groups later in the war. scientist discovered how to seperate blood cells and keep it in a bottle so it didnt clot.
hi
i think that war gave the biggest contribution to history of medicine becuase many soldiers were wounded and at that time surgeries were not as progress as now,so many soldiers died of infection.this gave alot of surgeons to practice their skills on the soldier,this was not successful because many died of loss of blood and infection.this gave the government to give money to surgeon to donate blood to the soldiers.
so i think that war and government gave an impact to medicine
I think that Florence nightingale has changed nursing because before the 1850's anybody could become a nurse there was no rules to follow and the nurses did not have any training or experience. Florence Nightingale has made a huge contribution to medicine because she changed nursing and she helped save lives. The factors that helped her are money,Government, war and teamwork. Florence nightingale was determined to become a nurse and help save lives.she was brave because she challenged her family and stood up for what she wanted and she succeeded her father paid for her to go to Germany and Paris to train and become a nurse when she came back she got a letter from an army general which said lots of soldiers are dieing at the war of infection and disease.then the government paid for Florence and her team of about 34 nurses to go to Russia and help the soldiers the first thing that she done was clean up the hospitals and separate the patients from each other which would stop disease from spreading and this reduced the number of deaths from 42per cent to two per cent.
I think the war was an important factor because a lot of soldiers were dying and getting injured in the war, this made the government write to Florence nightingale. This gave surgeons a great chance to perform their surgeries with so many soldiers needing help.
TO ARFAN- florence nightingale did not reduce the death rates to two percent it was proven wrong and that death rates actually increased because people did not know about infections. So that wrong
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