The Importance of Science and Technology in the Fight Against Infectious Diseases in the Late 19th Century
Infectious disease had posed problems for many people for centuries.
The developed knowledge of anatomy and the working of the human body
led to more and more understanding of what caused illness and
diseases. Many scientists and doctors searched for cures and
treatments and from the 18th century onwards there were many
discoveries and developments that helped the battle in opposition to
infectious diseases. By the 19th century there were many breakthroughs
and much more changes and developments occurred in the search for the
cure of infectious disease.
Science and technology was a vital factor that aided the fight against
infectious diseases in the late 19th century. Through these two
sources, many new theories were established and developed. Science and
Technology had helped medicine a great deal as new and more powerful
microscopes had been introduced by 1830. Through the use of
microscopes, Anthony van Leeuwenhoek discovered tiny organisms but at
that time microscopes were not good enough for his idea to be pursued
further. However, the improvement in the quality of microscopes
enabled Pasteur to investigate Anthony van Leeuwenhoek’s findings in
more depth and with the use of advanced microscopes he discovered
micro-organisms. Pasteur was able to develop upon the spontaneous
generation and through the use of microscopes he was able to prove he
fact that living organisms fall from the air and cause decay. He
established this in 1861, which was recognised as the germ theory. The
acknowledgement of the germ theory became a maj...
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...ped him get
a research team. Without money, research teams Pasteur would not have
been much more successful as he did therefore the government as a
major factor in funding medical investigations.
In conclusion, science and technology was a significant factor in the
resistance against disease and allowed changes to go a step forward.
Without the advancement of the microscope, the germ theory would not
have been developed at this time. The use of dyes would not have been
of any use if microscopes were not developed. However, other factors
such as communication and personal qualities are also exceedingly
important to allow progression of the fight against infectious disease
to take place. All these factors have worked together to win the
battle against disease; a factor alone could not have fought the
disease alone.
The Black Death (also called the "plague" or the "pestilence", the bacteria that causes it is Yersinia Pestis) was a devastating pandemic causing the death of over one-third of Europe's population in its major wave of 1348-1349. Yersinia Pestis had two major strains: the first, the Bubonic form, was carried by fleas on rodents and caused swelling of the lymph nodes, or "buboes", and lesions under the skin, with a fifty-percent mortality rate; the second, the pneumonic form, was airborne after the bacteria had mutated and caused fluids to build up in the lungs and other areas, causing suffocation and a seventy-percent mortality rate.
One measure they had was that of the “red cross”. This is where they would paint a red cross on the doors of people who were diagnosed with the plague. I think this would have worked because it would let people know who had the plague, so that they could avoid falling ill themselves.
Because of the occurrence of the Black Death, advancements in medicine were made that helped us to be where we are today in the medical field. The Black Death first began...
Medical science had not yet discovered the importance of antiseptics in preventing infection. Water was contaminated and soldiers sometimes ate unripened or spoiled food. There weren’t always clean rags available to clean wounds. Because of frequent shortages of water, surgeons often went days without washing their hands or instruments. So now germs were passing from patient to patient.
Most of these medical advances were a result and were an influence of World War I. Probably one of the most important medical advances was the discovery of penicillin in 1928 by a Scottish, microbiologist named Alexander Fleming, he had actually accidently discovered it, when he noticed that a bacteria culture he had been growing, had stopped, he realized that it had been contaminated by a rare form of mold called Penicillin and that it had killed the bacteria.
olds who now had to go to school because the government had made a law
Rifkind, David, and Geraldine L. Freeman. The Nobel Prize Winning Discoveries in Infectious Diseases. London: Elsevier/Academic, 2005.
The rail market continued to grow and by the 1860’s all major cities within the United States were connected by rail. The main diseases that showed the most virulence during the time were cholera, yellow fever and consumption, now known as tuberculosis. The 9th census mortality data showed that 1 out 7 deaths from disease were caused by tuberculosis and 1 out of 24 disease deaths were resulting from cholera. . Until the 1870s the general consensus of the spread of disease through population was still the primitive idea that it came from the individual and not specifically the pathogen.... ... middle of paper ... ...
At the onset of the twentieth century, many changes in American life were occurring, including the expansion of cities, an increase in immigration, and a change in the typical family structure. A movement of social reforms known as progressivism arose to counter these changes, which were viewed as a challenge to domestic life. Specifically, venereal disease caught the attention of many progressives. As members of the medical profession learned more about the pathology of disease, venereal disease became regarded as the ultimate threat to the American family. The biggest outrage was the infection of innocents, women and children who encountered the disease as a result of unfaithful husbands and fathers. Efforts by the progressives to stop the spread of venereal disease were first directed towards members of the military, who were far detached from the wholesome values of home. Soon after, public health measures were extended to the entire United States population. In the early twentieth century, public health campaigns stressing the importance of sexual continence arose to stop the spread of venereal disease.
The American Revolution was started in 18th century based on the political, social and economical reasons in the thirteen colonies. The colonists discovered the United States of America by refusing the nobility and monarchy of the Great Britain. During the Revolution, an epidemic disease called smallpox was spread devastatingly and frequently. Smallpox was an enormously contagious disease caused by a specific type of virus variola which spread into the thirteen American colonies. The disease was new in the country to take place in Boston, Massachussetts first and by spreading the virus made a severe threat all over. It began with infection mainly in the blood vessels of the human skin and mouth, resulted in different kinds of symptoms for
A remarkable breakthrough in medicine occurred in the late 1800s through the work of Louis Pasteur. Pasteur's experiments showed that bacteria reproduce like other living things and travel from place to place. Using the results of his findings, he developed pasteurization, which is the process of heating liquids to kill bacteria and prevent fermentation. He also produced an anthrax vaccine as well as a way to weaken the rabies virus. After studying Pasteur's work, Joseph Lister developed antisepsis, which is the process of killing disease-causing germs. In 1865 before an operation, he cleansed a leg wound first with carbolic acid, and performed the surgery with sterilized (by heat) instruments. The wound healed, and the patient survived. Prior to surgery, the patient would've needed an amputation. However, by incorporating these antiseptic procedures in all of his surgeries, he decreased postoperative deaths. The use of antiseptics eventually helped reduce bacterial infection not only in surgery but also in childbirth and in the treatment of battle wounds. Another man that made discoveries that reinforced those of Pasteur's was Robert Koch. Robert Koch isolated the germ that causes tuberculosis, identified the germ responsible for Asiatic cholera, and developed sanitary measures to prevent disease. (1)
So one major investment in the 1920's to science was Medicine. In 1921 two Canadian scientists made a medicine called Insulin. Insulin helped people suffering from diabetes which made the world a healthier place. Then in 1928 Alexander Fleming found a mold that could kill certain types of bacteria. This mold became...
Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, radical and controversial ideas were created in what would become a time period of great advances. The Scientific Revolution began with a spark of inspiration that spread a wild fire of ideas through Europe and America. The new radical ideas affected everything that had been established and proven through religious views. "The scientific revolution was more radical and innovative than any of the political revolutions of the seventeenth century."1 All of the advances that were made during this revolutionary time can be attributed to the founders of the Scientific Revolution.
Science and technology in the middle ages flourished because of the need of inventions to make life easier. In Europe, from the 5th century to the 16th century there was a radical change in the inventions made. It was between the fall of the Western Roman empire and the early modern era. This was a time for exploration in new ideas and ways of doing things. Europe invented many things for wars, time-keeping, and for everyday use. These inventions may be still used today. They range from huge mortar to a small set of eyeglasses. Europeans found that life was easier with new better inventions to help them in everything. There are a series of inventions about war because of nearby wars with neighboring civilizations or even within Europe.
Science and Technology has been around from the beginning of time. It evolved from the everyday efforts of people trying to improve their way of life. Throughout history, humankind has developed and utilized tools, machines, and techniques without understanding how or why they worked or comprehending their physical or chemical composition. Before we go any further a definition has to be given for both Science and Technology because they are both different in their own right even though the two are almost indistinguishable. According to the Oxford Dictionary Technology can be defined as the knowledge or use of the mechanical arts and applied sciences, while Science can be defined as the branch of knowledge involving systematized observation and experiment. Science can be further divided into three separate categories; Pure, Applied and Natural Sciences. In addition technology is often defined as applied science, it is simply the application of scientific knowledge to achieve a specific human purpose, however, historical evidence suggests technology is a product of science.