Topic Summaries

Modern cures and preventions

GCSE > History > Pearson IGCSE > GCSE History: Medicine and Health in Britain (1000-Present) Topic Summaries > Modern medicine > Modern cures and preventions
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  • Mass vaccination programmes became a cornerstone of public health in modern Britain, reducing or eliminating diseases such as polio, measles, and whooping cough.
  • Antibiotics to treat the growth of bacteria in the body became commonplace. Penicillin, discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, was a major breakthrough in treating bacterial infections, but it was Florey and Chain who developed methods to produce it for widespread clinical use in the 1940s.
  • Magic bullet chemicals to kill bacteria rose in popularity after the success of Ehrlich’s treatment for syphilis. The second major magic bullet was Prontosil, discovered by Gerhard Domagk in 1932 for treating blood poisoning such as streptococcus. This led to the discovery of sulphonamide drugs, which treated pneumonia, scarlet fever, and meningitis.
  • Government lifestyle campaigns addressed public health concerns, promoting exercise, balanced diets, and anti-smoking initiatives, while also introducing measures to reduce environmental pollution.
    • The Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918–19 prompted public health authorities to implement measures such as quarantine, public education, and reporting of infections to control spread.
    • The global AIDS epidemic, emerging in the 1980s, required a coordinated response including awareness campaigns, sexual health education, testing programmes, and antiretroviral drugs.
    • Lung cancer could be diagnosed with new CT/PET-CT scans (detailed body images with dye) and bronchoscopy (looking into airways), and PET-CT scans. New treatments included transplants to replace cancerous lungs and radiotherapy/chemotherapy to kill or shrink cancer cells. Research identified smoking as the primary cause of lung cancer, prompting anti-smoking campaigns, legislation on tobacco advertising, and smoking bans in public spaces.
  • Alternative treatments, such as homeopathy, accupuncture, aromatherapy, and herbal medicine grew in popularity, often alongside mainstream medicine, reflecting a broader understanding of patient choice and holistic care. This includes:
    • Early detection of illnesses, including cancer and cardiovascular disease, became possible, enhancing treatment outcomes and patient survival rates by improving the accuracy and speed of diagnosis and treatment

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