Infectious Disease

1
Infectious Disease
AS Science for Public Understanding

• Cells as the basic units of living things.
• The germ theory of disease.

2
Infectious Disease
AS Science for Public Understanding

• Development of understanding of the transmission
  of an infectious disease
• e.g. the work of Ignaz Semmelweis on puerperal
  fever
• or of John Snow on cholera
• Study of one non-viral disease
• e.g. TB or malaria
• and one viral disease
• e.g. influenza or AIDS

3
Infectious Disease
AS Science for Public Understanding

• Distinction between preventative and curative
  measures and the importance of public health
  measures and standard of living in prevention of
  disease.
• Development of preventive measures
• e.g. investigations of inoculation by Edward
  Jenner
• or by Louis Pasteur
• Development of drugs to treat disease
• Antibiotics and their limitations.

4
Infectious Disease
AS Science for Public Understanding

• Micro-organisms were first viewed by van
  Leeuwenhoek in 1673
• But their role in disease was not established
  until the second half of the 19th century (i.e.
  1850 onwards)
• The Top Lads of infectious disease played a
  variety of roles in this history
• In chronological order

5
Infectious Disease
AS Science for Public Understanding

• Edward Jenner
• invented immunization by making a patient immune
  to smallpox by exposing them to cowpox
• Ignaz Semmelweiss
• showed that simple hygiene measures (hand
  washing!!!) cut death rates among post partum
  mothers caused by puerperal fever

6
Infectious Disease
AS Science for Public Understanding

• John Snow
• showed that cholera outbreaks in London were
  clustered around particular water pumps making
  him a very early epidemiologist
• Louis Pasteur
• the Guvnor
• proved that micro-organisms do not appear by
  spontaneous generation as was previously believed
• did quite a lot else too!!!

7
Infectious Disease
AS Science for Public Understanding

• Robert Koch
• invented bacteriology the science of medical
  microbiology
• by proving that a number of diseases were caused
  by the presence of micro-organisms
• Kochs postulates are still used today

8
Infectious Disease
AS Science for Public Understanding

• Your task
• You are provided with a copy of the textbook
  section on either Semmelweis or Snow
• Read the section
• Re-read the section, this time making notes on
  the key points
• With a partner discuss the key points you have
  identified and decide between you what is most
  important
• Prepare a presentation describing the key points
  to the rest of the group