Context of Medicine in the Early 20th Century (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note

Medicine in the 20th century - Summary

• The medical challenges on the Western Front pushed doctors to develop new treatments and techniques

  • However, many of these innovations were built on discoveries made before the war

• Wartime medical progress was made possible by:

  • Aseptic surgery

  • Blood transfusions

  • X-rays

• Key people involved include:

  • Louis Pasteur

  • Joseph Lister

  • Karl Landsteiner

  • Wilhelm Röntgen

Understanding of infection and the move to aseptic surgery

Understanding infection 

• In 1861, Louis Pasteur’s Germ Theory identified that germs cause decay

• Inspired by Pasteur, Joseph Lister used carbolic acid to clean the wound after a leg operation in 1865

• By the early 20th century, most doctors accepted the need for aseptic surgery

Aseptic surgery

Blood transfusions & storage

The issue of blood loss

• Despite aseptic surgery, blood loss remained deadly because:

  • Patients could go into shock and die if they lost too much blood

  • Blood could not be replaced during surgery

    • Early transfusions often failed due to blood clotting or mismatched blood types

How was the issue of blood loss resolved?

James Blundell

• Performed the first blood transfusions between 1818 and 1829

• He used tubes to transfer blood from donor to patient

Karl Landsteiner

• In 1901, he discovered the three main blood groups (A, B and O)

  • This solved problem of donor rejection

Reuben Ottenberg

• Identified Group O as the universal blood group

Resolving blood storage

• In 1915, Richard Lewisohn added sodium citrate to blood to stop it from clotting

• In 1915, Richard Weil discovered that blood could be refrigerated for up to two days 

• In 1916, Francis Rous and James Turner proved that citrate glucose allowed storage of blood for up to four weeks