20th Century Medicine Essay

Medicine in the 20th Century

The 20th Century gave birth to many new advancements in medicine. During this time, the average lifespan was lengthened, due to progress in medical discoveries. However, with old age came an increase in diseases associated with aging, including cancer and heart disease, which led to increased study’s on how to prevent or cure such illnesses. By the beginning of the 20th century, a new term had emerged, “pharmacology”, which is a laboratory science concerning the study of natural substances and remedies. Researchers put plant drugs under systematic chemical analysis and later learned how to synthesize the drugs. By the turn of the 20th century, new medicines were being marketed and sold in pharmacy’s. Bayer, a company in Germany, made a synthesized version of acetylsalicylic which is what we know today as Aspirin.[1]

Another discovery around this time was made by a German man named Paul Ehrlich. Ehrlich synthesized the arsenic-based compound Salvarsan, which became the first medicine to treat syphilis in 1909, which was the first antibiotic drug. Years later, Gerhard Domagk, another German who worked for the company Bayer, created another antibiotic, the first useful sulfa drug used to treat diseases like meningitis. However, one of the most famous discovery of antibiotics began in the 1920s. A Scottish man by the name of Alexander Flemming discovered a mold growing on bacterial samples in his lab the eventually killed the bacteria. He identified the mold as Penicillin.[2] Later on, due to World War 2, a new team of researchers were able to further the research on the drug and test it on injured soldiers. The drug was effective in fighting illnesses such as anthrax, tetanus, and syphilis. It also prove...

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...and Frank Gerow developed the first silicone gel implant.[14] In the late ‘60s and ‘70s, the original design was upgraded and the outer shell was made thicker in order to avoid leakage. Health questions are still considered today on whether or not the silicone can cause cancer or certain neurological issues.[15]

Overall, due to WW1 and WW2 and the ambitious scientists and doctors of the 20th century, it proved to be an extraordinary century for medical advancements. Many life altering discoveries were made during this era and many medical mysteries were solved. From the multiple vaccinations and other medications discovered to the new surgeries and surgical techniques, this time period is salient to the world of medicine and the lives of everyone around the globe. Without these advancements, the average lifespan would not be as long and as possible as it is today.