Government (Edexcel GCSE History) : Revision Note

How important was the government in the development of medicine?

• Understanding themes helps explain how and why medicine developed between c1250–present

  • The 12- and 16-mark questions may ask about these themes to test your ability to spot change, continuity, and key turning points over time

• The government had very little involvement in medicine until the 19th century

• From c1800 onwards, public pressure and scientific evidence forced governments to act

• The government became more important in prevention first, then later in treatment through the founding of the NHS

• In the modern period, government involvement is essential to all areas of medicine

Government in Medieval England

Cause of Disease

• The government did not investigate or fund research into the causes of disease

• People relied on the Church to explain why they became ill

• Monarchs saw health as an individual issue, not a concern for the government

Treatment

• The government did not provide hospitals or medical training

• Medical care was mostly in the hands of the Church or local communities

Prevention

• Local councils ordered street cleaning in times of epidemic, such as the Black Death

• As the government believed that illness was an individual issue, they felt no need to attempt to stop illnesses

Government in the Renaissance

Cause of Disease

• The government did not attempt to discover the causes of illness

• Scientists individually attempted to find reasons for diseases such as Thomas Sydenham

Treatment

• The dissolution of the monasteries (1536) closed down many Church-ran hospitals

  • The government was still not involved in the running of hospitals

• Apothecaries and surgeons required a license to practice their craft

• Church-ran universities continued to train physicians

Prevention

• Charles II released a royal decree during the Great Plague (1665)

• To stop the spread of the plague, he ordered:

  • The killing of stray cats and dogs

  • Ill people to remain quarantined at home, displaying a red cross

• These were mostly local and based on panic, not science

Government in Industrial Britain

Cause of Disease

• Initially, the government followed a laissez-faire approach to healthcare

  • The government ignored the work of John Snow, continuing to believe that miasma caused disease

• Germ Theory (1861) helped convince the government that disease had natural causes that could be prevented 

Treatment

• Most hospitals continued to be under the authority of businessmen

• Queen Victoria used chloroform during the birth of her eighth child in 1853

Prevention

• The British government supported Jenner’s work on vaccinations

  • In 1852, the government made smallpox vaccination compulsory, paying for vaccines out of taxes

  • In 1872, the government fined those who refused to vaccinate their children

• The government began to take responsibility for public health

  • The 1848 Public Health Act was not compulsory

  • The 1875 Public Health Act was compulsory, and the government fined local authorities who broke these terms

Government in Modern Britain

Cause of Disease

• Nowadays, the government funds scientific research

  • A key example is the Human Genome Project

• After scientists discovered the link between lifestyle and illness, the government acted by:

  • Creating anti-smoking laws

  • Making campaigns such as Change4Life to promote healthy eating

Treatment

• During the Second World War, Florey and Chain received £25 from the government to fund their research into penicillin

  • British and US governments worked with scientists to mass-produce penicillin for soldiers

• The Labour government created the NHS in 1948

  • This provided free healthcare for all, paid for by taxes

• The NHS funds:

  • GP services

  • Hospitals

  • Prescriptions and treatments

• Modern governments support high-tech medical services and emergency responses, such as during COVID-19 (2020)

Prevention

• The government implements mass vaccination programmes to prevent diseases such as measles and COVID-19

• Lifestyle campaigns (such as Change4Life and Stoptober) encourage healthy living

• Public health is now a central role of the government