Analysis of Sir James Mackenzie (1852-1925)
James Mackenzie was a man of great importance during his lifetime and has been said to be one of the world's greatest pioneers in medicine (Mair, 4). His contributions to the field of medicine are still taught and read about around the world. In his research and writings, Mackenzie discussed the importance of the prevention and cure of disease and how we can teach our general practitioners and future medical students to become more familiar with the various stages of disease before suffering and even death occurs. He diverted much of his attention on the study of epidemiology and just how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why. The study of epidemiology is used to help prevent illness and to help manage patients that already have a disease (http://bmj.com/epidem/epid.html). During Mackenzie's time, the prevention and cure of disease was a very lingering topic that not a lot of people wanted to address. Because of Mackenzie's research, time, and efforts taken towards the prevention and cure of disease, people have gained a better understanding and have taken a completely different outlook into the field of medicine. His efforts and contributions made a huge impact in the history of medicine and on "the future of medicine" as well.
James Mackenzie was born April 4, 1853 in Pictstonhill Farm, Scone Scotland. He attended the medical school at Edinburgh University in 1874 during a promising and exciting time of which the germ theory of disease was shaking the medical world (Mair, 31). He completed his residency in 1879 and joined Dr. Briggs and Brown in general practice in Burnley, England. He wrote in his Personal Experiences that he "was fortunate to serve under two doctors with exceptional attainments, the one being a shrewd general practitioner of many years' experience, and the other a surgeon of no mean ability....It was an old-fashioned practice of many years' standing and we followed the old custom of dispensing our own medicines...I had an opportunity of judging the effects of remedies which I otherwise would not have obtained, and having that opportunity, I was able to make some observations on the actions of drugs that physicians and pharmacologists with all their magnificent opportunities had failed to achieve.
Laurier had graduated at the top of his class and was chosen to give the
Medicine has been developed and discovered for thousands of years; however, the 1920’s was the first decade that fashioned a pathway for new developments and discoveries. Medical professionals have taken a huge hit for their fight in finding new inventions that can save patients from death’s hands. In the 1920’s, medicine has also taken a tremendous leap in controlling fatal diseases such as diabetes (Pendergast 110). Medicine in the 1920’s has altered the way medicine is shaped today; furthermore, the development and discovery of the iron lung, penicillin, and insulin were the first pertinent breakthroughs in medical history (“Iron” par. 7; Grimsley par. 15; “Banting” par. 13).
Tommy Douglas was considered the best Canadian because he was the first to introduce universal hospitalization to North America. Firstly, When Douglas was 10 years old, his leg was infected, and his parents could not afford to amputate his leg. Fortunately, a local surgeon offered to do surgery on his leg if his class was allowed to watch. Douglas stated that this circumstance made him dr...
McNeil suggests, there are still epidemics out there which have not developed human to human status yet. For example, AIDS is identified in 1981, which is after the publication of Plagues and Peoples. Because of AIDS relevancy to this book, McNeil writes a Preface in 1997 including his thoughts on the epidemic. Humans only thought that scientific medicine "had finally won decisive victory over disease germs" (9). With the discovery of the AIDS virus a social change occurred in American and similar societies.
The first main reason why Phineas Gage endured the most adversity during making his contribution to science is because Phineas Gage had to suffer from the effects of his injury for the rest of his life. He had terrible mood swings, behavior problems, and a very unfriendly attitude. All of these problems caused him to lose his job.(Phineas Gage Book) Then, Phineas Gage almost died from a infection. Doctors didn't know much about infections or germs in 1800’s. The medical state in the 1800’s was not helping Phineas either. (Phineas Gage book)The doctor’s knew the basics of what to do, but some things they did actually was hurting the patient. For example, when doctors finished surgery, they did not clean their surgery tools. This causes infections. So the medical science was not on Phineas’s side.(Phineas Gage book) Another medical issue threatened Gage’s life. He was having seizures and bleeding. (Phineas Gage book) This ended up killing Gage. Phineas Gage’s contribution is that he taught doctors, scientist, and people more about the brain and
“My sins of omission and commission I do not deny; but I trust that it may be said of me in the ultimate issue, ‘Much is forgiven because he loved much’, for I have loved my country with a passionate love.”
As the government of Canada was taking its first steps as a united country after confederation it was eying a vast amount of land which is now part of the Canadian prairies and Manitoba. The Canadian government was interested in Rupert’s land because Canada wanted to expand from sea to sea (A Mari Usque Ad Mare) therefore accomplishing sir MacDonald vision for a bigger better Canada. One of the main reasons why Canada was eager to buy Rupert’s land was because good farmable land was scarce in Ontario. In addition many settlers were thinking of moving toward the west (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) the Canadian government was ecstatic about this because it was like hitting two birds with one rock why? Provided Canada was afraid of the American expansion toward the north. Lest, it wanted settlers to settle in the west therefore claim it for Canada. When Macdonald found out that settlers were interested in moving to the west he wanted them to settle as soon as possible and preferably before their neighbours. However, Rupert’s land was in the way and it was up for sell from the once powerful Hudson’s Bay Company whom controlled the area. In conclusion the British fur trade giant had been in decline for years and now it was up for grabs. The Canadians were afraid of The Americans, who had just paid Russia millions of dollars for Alaska in 1867, whom were also looking for other properties to expand their Republic and eyed the territory. But Canada saw Rupert's Land as the natural extension of its new nation which included Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec and it was not going to let it get away. However, The Hudson's Bay Company was prepared to sell to the Americans who would pay top dollar. But on March 20, 1869, ...
"18th Century American Medicine." 18th Century American Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. .
With numerous modern houses that make up Toronto's landscape, the sight of a 19th century house may be attractive among them, located at 82 Bond Street downtown. Mackenzie House is famous for the person who lived there, William Lyon Mackenzie, the first mayor of Toronto, who was also a journalist and political reformer or note. (City of Toronto website, 2014)The house is in Georgian style which was extremely popular during the 18th and 19th century. (Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission website, 2014) With the passing of the time, the building became no longer a residence but a museum that was keep open for tourists. The significant history connected with the building should be told.
While Charon whole-heartedly endorses Narrative Medicine, and narrative knowledge as the means to radical change of the practice of medicine, Garden takes a few steps back to objectively assess the issue. Garden goes all the way back to the eighteenth century to
Mackenzie King was the longest serving Prime Minister of Canada (Neatby, 2005). For many King was a great and effective Prime Minister. But for others, he was ineffective due to his “5 cent speech”, racist behavior and lastly for his strong spiritual beliefs. Therefore this makes William Lyon Mackenzie King to be an ineffective Prime Minister of Canada from the years 1921-1929.
The life expectancy in Europe and America averaged about 30 to 40 years in 1800 A.D. However, through medical breakthroughs this expectancy has increased double -75 years- in the last two hundred years. One important reason of this increase is the discovering of what causes diseases. The development of medical science in different ways has yielded so many advances in recognizing the pathogenic factors of diseases and how to fight with them. This progress has resulted significant alteration in the factors of premature death due to diseases (Medical Health tests
The contributions of several doctors, researchers, and scientists helped improve the health of the growing population. In 1850 the average life expectancy was 42 years. By 1910 the average life expectancy had risen to nearly 55 years. Between 1850 and 1910 there were several advances in the medical field. The introduction of genes, white blood cells, blood groups, insulin, rubber gloves, aspirin, and vitamins and the discoveries of Pasteur, Charcot, Halsted, Zirm, Lister, and Koch were the starting point of an international fight against disease.
Pfeiffer, Carl J. The Art and Practice of Western Medicine in the Early Nineteenth Century. Jefferson, NC, and London: McFarland, 1985.
With science taking a new direction, people became healthier as vaccines, pasteurization, anesthesia, antiseptics, and the importance of personal hygiene were introduced. With the scientific advancements, scientists were able to study deadly diseases more closely. After the germ theory was introduced, Louis Pasteur developed vaccines to combat rabies and anthrax and introduced pasteurization to killed disease-carrying microbes in milk. The discovery of vaccinations enabled people to become immune to the deadly diseases out in the world. Florence Nightingale introduced the necessary sanitary measures that each hospitals should take and Joseph Lister discovered antiseptics that should be used to sterilize instruments before being used to operate surgeries. After these introductions of sanitary measures in hospitals, the rate of patients who died of infection days after the surgery decreased. People were able to live longer and survive more diseases, consequently increased the population and supply of workers.