The historical context of medicine in the early 20th century
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can assess the impact of advancements in medicine by the start of the 20th century.
Key learning points
- Images produced using X-rays supported diagnosis and surgical treatments.
- Aseptic surgery aimed to sterilise surgical environments.
- The existence of different blood groups was discovered in 1901.
- Blood clotting restricted the circumstances in which blood transfusions could be performed.
Keywords
Invasive - in this context, medical treatments which involve cutting into the body
Sterilise - to make something free from microbes
Microbe - any living organism which is too small to be seen without a microscope
Transfusion - the process of adding an amount of blood to a person’s body
Clotting - the process in which blood changes into a solid state to form a thick mass or lump
Common misconception
Attempts to prevent infections during surgery mainly focused mainly on antiseptic methods by the start of the 20th century.
Antiseptic methods remained in use but methods of aseptic surgery were also commonly practiced by the start of the 20th century to prevent infections.
Teacher tip
Task B can be completed by having pupils annotate the image provided. Instruct pupils to first label a feature and then to expand on this by saying why the feature would help prevent infections. Alternatively, pupils could identify a feature not shown in the image which could prevent infections.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each term with its correct definition.
to say what is wrong with someone who is sick
methods used to help cure someone or manage their illness
methods used to stop people becoming unwell
Q2.Germ Theory accurately claimed that decay was caused by .
Q3.Which substance was sometimes used as an anaesthetic in the medieval period?
Q4.In which century did William Harvey challenge Galen's ideas about blood in the human body?
Q5.Which statement about surgery in the mid-19th century is correct?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word means 'to make something free from microbes'?
Q2.People suffering from serious blood loss can go into a condition known as .
Q3.Which of the following problems would X-rays most commonly be used to diagnose?
Q4.Which blood group is considered a universal donor group?
Q5.Which statement is correct?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following developments into chronological order.
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The historical context of medicine in the early 20th century, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The historical context of medicine in the early 20th century, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the The British sector of the Western Front, 1914–18 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.