Medical+Advances

Medical Advances in the 19th Century were when new technology and ideas were discovered. Before the new knowledge that came during the 19th century doctors would wear their filthy bloody coats. They would go straight from patient to patient without washing their hands, and sometimes straight from the autopsy room to surgery. During the 19th century advances such as the existence of cells, importance of chemical balance of the body, working of organs, and mechanism of digestion and circulation were discovered. Joseph Lister started the trend of antiseptics while Florence Nightingale made nursing a job. The many epidemics that hit Europe led to many new discoveries and improvements in the Public health system. (Medicine (Overview)).

__Joseph Lister and Louis Pasteur[[image:lister.jpg align="right" caption="Joseph Lister operating"]]__
Joseph Lister was born in 1827. He was the forth out of seven children. He had always been interested in history with a small interest in science. When he was a young man he had his first job in a hospital. It interested him further in science. When the first anesthetic was invented and used he felt better about becoming a surgeon; he didn’t like knowing that the patient could feel the pain of surgery without medication. In 1849 he further pursued his medical studies in Scotland.

When Joseph was in Scotland becoming a surgeon he was interested by Louis Pasteur's ideas on germs affecting disease. Louis Pasteur believed that active agents aren't gaseous element in the air, they are organisms floating there. So if one could put a material on the wound that could kill these agents the rate of death and disease would decrease. Because of this, Lister used Carbolic acid on his hands after each patient. This was the first time that an antiseptic was used in a hospital. He also used the antiseptic on each patient. After using this method for four years the mortality rate dropped to 15% from a previous above 45%. This impacted hospitals all over Europe once more doctors started using this method. Lister was a surgeon for many years until he died in 1912 (Banerjee).

__Florence Nightingale__
Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 to a wealthy English family. During the 19th century being a nurse was looked down upon. Although her parents first denied her the right to become a nurse, she got other family and friends to pursue her parents for their consent. She fist became the supervisor of institution for the fare of Sick Gentlewomen in distressed circumstances. She was best known for her work in the Crimean War. She improved the standards of nursing making sure the wounded had clean bedding and wraps. She was also known for how much she cared, and was known for wandering the floors to make sure everyone was sleeping and feeling all right. She turned nursing from a lowly job with no standards to an important profession (Florence Nightingale).

__Edward Jenner and the Smallpox Vaccine__
Edward Jenner was born in 1749 and died in 1823. During his life the smallpox epidemic killed many. During the 19th century it had a mortality rate over 50%. The first attempts at a vaccine were either effective or deadly. This vaccine consisted of an injection of pus from another person’s mild case of smallpox. Jenner lived in a small town where many people had suffered from cowpox, a disease contracted between the person who milked the cow. It was contagious and caused by dirty conditions. Jenner, a physician, observed that the country people believed that those who contracted cow pox would be immune to small pox. He tested this belief by taking material from the hands of a dairy maid and vaccinated a small boy, who later became immune to smallpox. Jenner improved the vaccination, which was used all over Europe (Bekman).

__Cholera: the epidemic [[image:primary_source_1.jpg width="200" height="326" align="right" caption="A 19th century poster about the cholera epidemic"]]__
Cholera was one of the many epidemics that hit Europe in the 19th century. It first appeared between 1831 and 1832. It killed many thousands of people; some died a few hours after they contracted the disease. Violent cramps, vomiting and diarrhea were all symptoms of cholera. Rapid dehydration caused blood to thicken and turned skin cold, blue, deathlike. The major causes of cholera were the bad living conditions such as the close quarter of slums, and the contact with filth and decay. Cholera was not generally contagious, and spread by bad drinking water, because there was no real sewage system. People would go to hospitals or stay at home with family to keep them calm. Opium was commonly used to try and treat the disease although doctors found that by using the right medicine one could be completely treated. This disease called for a rise in standards of living. It also increased use of sanitation (Cholera Epidemics in the 19th Century). Ewing Whittle was a physician from the 19th century. He wrote a book on Cholera describing the symptoms, stages, and treatment. To see it click [|here].

__Improvements and Impact__
The medical advances found in the 19th century had a huge impact. More money and energy was put into medical care and study. More people became interested in medicine, this allowed for more doctors to keep up with the increasing population. Between 1800 and 1860 there was a huge increase in specialty hospitals such as the Kensington children's hospital and the London fever hospital. Hospitals also improved their quality because of awareness of germs. More rooms were created for patients, and more training for doctors. Morphine, codeine, and iodine were a few of the drugs that were discovered. Claude Bernard made the connection between diabetes and glucose in blood, while other diseases such as syphilis and gonorrhea were distinguished as two separate diseases (Douglas).

__** BIBLIOGRAPHY**__

Banerjee, Jacqueline. "Joseph Lister." //The Victorian Web.// April 11, 2007. September 25, 2009__.<[]>.__

Bekman, Stas. "19th Century Medical Revolution: Vaccination." //Stason.org.// February 20, 2009.September 24, 2009. <[]>.

"Cholera Epidemics in the 19th Century." //Contagion historical views of diseases and epidemics.//September 24, 2009. <[]>.

Douglas, Laurelyn. "Medical Developments in Britain during the 19th Century." //Victorians Web.// 1991. September 24, 2009. <[]>.

"Florence Nightingale." Science, technology, and Society: the impact of Science in the 19th Century. David E. Newton, Neil Schlager, Kelle Sisung 1st edition. Two volumes. Detroit: UXL, 2001.

"Medicine (Overview)." //World History: The Modern Era//. ABC-CLIO, 2009. Web. 25 Sept. 2009. <[]>.

By Madison Mann