Page 27 - All About History - Issue 56-17

RHAZES ROBERT KOCH GERMAN, 1843-1910
Described as the founder of modern bacteriology, it was
PERSIAN, 865-925 Nobel Prize-winner Robert Koch who developed the
Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya first ‘magic bullets’ — chemicals formulated to attack
al-Razi — known in the West as Rhazes — specific bacteria. He proved a link between
was the dominant scholar of early Islam. the bacterium Bacillus anthracis and
Inspired by Hippocrates and ancient anthrax through testing mice and Queen
Greek medicine, he wrote books across a created techniques of staining
variety of topics, including the Al-Mansuri bacteria to improve visibility Victoria was John Snow improved
hygienic practices
and Al-Hawi, encyclopaedic reviews of under the microscope. Koch and a patient of Snow’s and attended royalty
medicine translated into many languages, his team were able to identify — he administered
which were then used as standard texts bacterial causes for tuberculosis JOHN SNOW
for Islamic and European students for and cholera, and his methods chloroform to her during ENGLISH, 1813-58
centuries. Physician to the royal court inspired successors in the field. the births of her eighth John Snow was a giant in the
and director of a Baghdad hospital, Victorian era, seen as one of the
Rhazes presided over improvements and ninth children, founders of modern epidemiology.
including noting down patients’ case in 1853 and 1857 An experiment in 1854 linked a
histories and marking down symptoms
public water pump in Soho to an
of illnesses. His work on diseases saw
outbreak cholera, confirming the physician’s
him conclude that measles and smallpox
theory that the disease could be spread through
were distinct afflictions.
contaminated water or food. Snow was a champion
Rhazes was of anaesthesia and hygienic practices in the
the single most
field and he also designed a mask to administer
important scholar
in early Islam chloroform after hearing of the drug’s effectiveness.

Robert Koch invented
magic bullets to
combat specific bacteria

Ronald Ross solved
JOSEPH LISTER malaria infection
the puzzle of
ENGLISH, 1827-1912 RONALD ROSS
Joseph Lister was the champion of new cleaning ENGLISH, 1857-1932
practices in medicine and revolutionised surgical Indian Medical Service doctor Ronald Ross,
procedures in the process. He experimented born in the country to a British family, was the
with exposing wounds to chemicals — using man to prove the long-suspected link between
dressings soaked in carbolic acid (phenol) — mosquitoes and malaria. In 1897, Ross, a future
and found the chances of infection reduced Nobel Prize winner, dissected a mosquito that
significantly. Lister also introduced handwashing had fed on a malaria victim and found in its
in a medical environment, the sterilisation of stomach the parasite previously observed by
instruments and began spraying carbolic acid Alphonse Laveran and Sir Patrick Manson
Joseph Lister was the in theatre while operations took place. His when they examined blood samples taken
father of sterile surgery simple but effective principles were adopted from others afflicted by the disease.
Many by numerous surgeons.
of these
figures received ELIZABETH KENNY AUSTRALIAN, 1880-1952 Elizabeth Kenny was
admired but also the
great accolades, but Elizabeth Kenny attracted acclaim and controversy in equal subject of scrutiny
measure. Unsatisfied by traditional treatments for polio — centring
Lister wins the prize on immobilisation through the use of plaster casts and splints — the
for the strangest — the Australian focused on efforts to ‘re-train’ the muscles, using moist hot
mouthwash Listerine packs to reduce pain and allow limbs to be gently exercised. Although
medical figures poured scorn on her methods, the public had a very
was named in his different view. Kenny’s practices are still used in rehabilitative medicine. © Alamy
honour
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