A brief history of vaccination The practice of immunisation dates back hundreds of years. Buddhist monks drank snake venom to confer immunity to snake bite and variolation (smearing of a skin tear with cowpox to confer immunity to smallpox) was practiced in 17th century China. Edward Jenner is considered the founder of vaccinology in the West in 1796, after he inoculated a 13 year-old-boy with vaccinia virus (cowpox), and demonstrated immunity to smallpox. In 1798, the first smallpox vaccine was developed. Over the 18th and 19th centuries, systematic implementation of mass smallpox immunisation culminated in its global eradication in 1979.
After improved understanding of the causes of disease there was understanding that you could cure a disease. Behring used this and Koch’s work to isolate anti toxins that would otherwise ,harm the body, to fight Diphtheria, Behring then found a way to inject it. Paul Ehrlich ( a member of Koch’s team) used his team to build on this work , he knew that certain dyes stained specific microbes (Koch’s work) furthermore with Behring’s work Paul tres to find a cure for syphillis a “magic bullet” that would only target the microbes and not the body. He managed to research seven years which was only made possible because of government funds. In 1909 Dr Hata had joined the research team and he reviewed the previous experiments.
Cocaine and Morphine Cocaine and morphine are two illicit substances that have been constantly abused and evolving over the past 150 years in the United States and around the world. Cocaine was first synthesized in 1855 but was not recognized for its medicinal effects until 1880 (History of Cocaine). Cocaine got its first major endorsement from none other than Sigmund Freud who promoted it as a safe and useful tonic to help cure depression and impotence (History of Cocaine). In 1886 it was further popularized when John Pemberton marketed a new soft drink that would give you energy as well as produce a euphoric feeling; Coca-Cola. Up until the early 1900’s, when it was banned by the Dangerous Drug Act of 1920, cocaine was used in numerous
Secondly, they produced the first clearly recognizable description of diseases and epidemics. Also in Greece, Galen a physician and natural scientist of the Golden Age 2nd century created the Cold Cream of Roses. Although slightly altered, Cold Cream of Roses appeared in the British Pharmacopeia of 1932. The Greek advancements in medicine gave way to how we treat and discover diseases. It is actually the staff of the Greek healing god, Asklepios, that is the official symbol of medicine world
The “Golden age” of microbiology occurred in the late 1800’s, this is when many infectious diseases were identified (cliffsnotes.com). After World War п, antibiotics were discovered and many diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, meningitis, and syphilis declined (cliffsnotes.com). Studying bacteria is still very important in today’s society in order to prevent any epidemics from
Franz Mesmer, who was thoroughly debunked for his magnetic "energy healing" claims in the 18th century, likely would find a niche in mainstream medicine today. Similarly, fabled snake oil salesman John R. Brinkley, virtually chased out of the United States and stripped of his medical and broadcasting licenses in the 1930s, would fare well in today's medical climate. The Flexner Report spurred reforms that essentially banished the teaching and promotion of quackery that was rampant in US and Canadian medical schools a century ago. You would hardly know it today, as the uncritical promotion of pseudoscience is once again pervasive in medical schools. Despite the rising popularity of alternative medicine, patients who come to us expect treatment based on science, not an eclectic world view.
Further measures included: • In 1848 the first Public Health Act caused the setting up of a Board of Health, and gave towns the right to appoint a Medical Officer of Health. • In 1853 vaccination against smallpox was made compulsory. • In 1854 improvements in hospital hygiene were introduced (thanks in large part to Florence Nightingale). • In 1875 a Public Health Act enforced laws about slum clearance, provision of sewers and clean water, and the removal of nuisances. The benefits of these measures soon became clear, and by the late 19th century local councils were competing with each other to provide the best public
The discovery of penicillin became a widely used medicine in the year of 1943 the required clinical trials were performed showing an effective and fastest way to treat medical wounds. though it is peculiar that one stray mold spore could have been responsible for the discovery of penicillin. so what made penicillin a special medical use? penicillin was originally discovered by French medical student named Ernest Duchesne in 1896.penicillin was then re-discovered by bacteriologist Alexander Fleming. he observed that a plate culture that contained staphylococcus had been contaminated by a blue green mold and that colonies of bacteria adjacent to the mold were being dissolved.curiously Alexander grew the mold in a pure culture and found that it produced a substance that killed a number of disease causing bacteria.
Now retired "Clemson University organic chemist John H. Huffman, a leading scientist in synthetic cannibinoid development, made more than 450 cannibinoid compounds to help advance the treatment of serious ailments like multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and cancer" (Griep, 2013). In an interview with ABC News, Huffman explains that his research apparently fell into the wrong hands, but "doubts that a ban on the substances will keep kids away from it". Organic marijuana has been illegal since 1937, he points out, yet many have completely disregarded those laws. Therefore, prohibition of spice could have a similar outcome. Huffman contrasts the two substances, describing the effects of synthetic cannabinoids as " anecdotal, and comes from things like visits to emergency rooms."
Microbiology in the News: Poop Pills Elaine Altman Breckinridge School of Nursing Microbiology Anu Gupta December 20, 2014 Microbiology in the News: Poop Pills Shawn Mulligan, 53, of Calgary, Canada, is among the first patients to test prototype poop pills to cure the recurrent intestinal infections caused by Clostridium difficile also known as C. diff. Even though the idea was distasteful when he thought about it, the results were quick and was life changing for him. Shawn was one of the first people suffering from a terrible gut infection caused by the germ C. diff, to get better using fecal transplants. The fecal transplants can be delivered through nose tubes, colonoscopies or enemas, but he was one of the first to have it transplanted through poop