Turning points in the history of medicine

5th/4th century BC: Hippocrates develops theory of four humours

Ideas about natural causes of disease now as important/common as supernatural (rather than just common-sense ideas)

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5th/4th century BC: Hippocrates develops clinical observation

Doctors have to follow rules/spread methods

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1530s-1560s: Vesalius makes detailed anatomical drawings

Proved Galen wrong & challenged Greek/Roman ideas by human dissection

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1530s-1560s: Paré tries new surgical methods

New surgery methods written down in books so ideas spread/ideas don't work very effectively until antiseptics developed

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1620s-1650s: Harvey studies heart

Challenged Greek/Roman ideas & proved by experiments

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1790s: Smallpox vaccination

Prevented infectious disease/leads to vaccinations against other diseases

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1860s: Pasteur develops germ theory

Later developments in operations/cures/public health/hospitals become possible once link between germs/disease proved/understood

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1840s: Simpson develops anaesthetics

More complex operations possible

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1860s: Lister develops effective anaesthetics

Operations now safe way to treat illnesses/injury instead of last resort

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1850s: Nightingale improves hospitals/nursing practices

Clean hospitals mean people who visit don't die/no longer last resort

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1875: Public Health Act

Town conditions cleaner/leads to end of disease/improvements in living conditions, housing etc. later on

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1911: Ehrlich creates first magic bullet

Cure for syphilis leads to chemical cures for other diseases

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1928: Penicillin discovered

Cure for infectious disease developed/most now treatable with antibiotics

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Turning points in the history of medicine

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