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History of medicine

11  of  17

1900 - 1999: The 20th century

In 1901, the average life expectancy in the United Kingdom was 47 years. By the year 2000 it had risen to 77 years and for someone born in the UK in 2015 it is 81 years. New medicines, childhood immunisationimmunisation
The process of exposing individuals to inactivated antigens to allow them to develop active artificial immunity.
s, improved air quality and better public hygiene has contributed to this 72% increase in the life expectancy.

The twentieth century saw some major advances in healthcare. These have included the development of:

  • Insulin: Banting and Best's work to show that insulin can be used to treat diabetes.
  • Penicillin: the discovery and development of antibioticantibiotic
    Medicine that is used to treat bacterial infections and works by killing or stopping the growth and reproduction of bacteria. These can be specific to a particular bacteria or act on groups of related bacteria.
    s by FlemingFlorey and Chain.
  • Modern medicines: pharmaceutical laboratories around the world are constantly producing new treatments for diseases.

Other developments

Vaccinationvaccination
The introduction of a small amount of dead or weakened pathogen into the body. It prepares the immune system to prevent future infections with the live pathogen.

First described by Edward Jenner in the 18th century, vaccination programmes to prevent deaths and serious illness from diseases such as yellow fever, poliomyelitis, measlesmeasles
Highly contagious disease caused by the measles virus. Symptoms usually include fever, often greater than 40°C, cough, and runny nose and last 7-10 days. These are accompanied by a red flat rash that starts on the face and extends to the rest of the body.
, mumps and rubella only became common in the 20th century. In 1980, the World Health Organisation announced that the deadly smallpoxsmallpox
A killer disease until it was eradicated by 1980. Infected individuals are covered in skin sores and damage to body organs can cause death.
virus had been completely eradicated.

Medical imaging

Physicians can now call on a range of techniques to see inside the body of their patients. X-rays, discovered by Roentgen, were the first but now sophisticated computer technology allows surgeons to plan operations and radiologistradiologist
A trained medical specialist who uses radiation therapy to treat disease.
to target tumours with pinpoint accuracy. Ultrasoundultrasound
High frequency sound which cannot be heard by human beings.
, magnetic resonance imagery (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and computer tomography (CT) scans are all part of the doctor's diagnostic armoury.

Ultrasoundultrasound
High frequency sound which cannot be heard by human beings.
image of a 19-week old foetus

 

Five MRI images of a human head

Technology

Advances in bioengineering, computing power, materials technology and many other areas of science have led to the development of many medical devices. During heart surgery, an artificial heart and lung machine keep the patient alive. Kidney damage can quickly kill but renal dialysis can keep patients alive even though their kidneys have failed. Hearing aids and cochlea implants bring sound to the hard of hearing. Biotechnologybiotechnology
The use of biological organisms or enzymes to create, break down or transform a material.
 is allowing pure drugs, such as human insulin, to be produced in large quantities.

DNA

The human genomehuman genome
The complete sequence of all 20,000-25,000 human genes. That is, which chromosomes they are in and whereabouts the gene appears on that chromosome's piece of DNA.
project
started the process of unlocking the secrets held within our DNA. It is leading to a much better understanding of the genetic basis for many diseases and has enabled the development of new cures in the 21st Century.

The second half of the 20th century saw tremendous advances in medicine. The first heart transplanttransplant
The process of replacing a damaged or diseased organ with a healthy organ from a dead or living donor.
 was performed by Dr Christiaan Barnard in 1967 and on July 25th 1978, Louise Brown was the first person to be born after in vitro fertilisationin vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a form of infertility treatment where ova are removed from a woman and fertilised outside of the body by sperm. The resulting zygotes are allowed to develop for a few days before one or at most two embryos are returned to the uterus to implant and develop.
. Research and development of modern medicines has made a massive contribution to the improvement in health and life expectancy.

Two worlds

Sadly, it was not all good news for medicine in the 20th Century. Many diseases can be controlled and treated but this takes money. In places such as Africa, South America and Asia, the levels of healthcare are below those found in the more well off Western nations. Diseases like HIV/AIDSHIV/AIDS
The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a condition caused by the infection by the human immune deficiency virus (HIV). It attacks and destroys the immune system, leaving the patient defenceless and unprotected from any pathogens and threats.
, cholera, tuberculosistuberculosis
A communicable disease caused by bacteria. It affects millions of people around the world and can be cured by antibiotics, but increasingly the pathogenic bacteria are becoming resistant to the most widely used antibiotics.
, pneumoniapneumonia
Swelling (inflammation) of the tissue in the lungs, often initially caused by a virus and often complicated by a secondary bacterial infection.
and malaria remain major killers in these regions. The challenge of medicine in the 21st Century is to make high quality healthcare available to all.