‘The greatest factor in the advancement of medical treatment in the 20 th Century was
technology.’ How far do you agree?
You may use the following in your answer:
• Science and technology
• Individuals
You must also use information of your own [16 marks]
Advancements in technology allowed for innovation and development in the treatment of
disease and other branches of medicine, therefore making technology the greatest factor in
the advancement of medical treatment in the 20th Century.
Advancements in technologies used to make diagnosis improved medical treatments as the
diseases could be identified more accurately and therefore treated more effectively. An
example of this is the increased use of blood tests in the 1930s and CT and MRI scans in the
1970s to diagnose disease. There were more courses of treatment available for illnesses, for
example, lung cancer could now be treated using multiple routes: an operation to remove
the tumour, a lung transplant, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and genetic research. These
new courses of treatment were available for use as a result of improving technology and the
availability of this technology. Therefore, technology played a key role in the improvements
made in diagnosis and the development of accurate, effective treatments.
Individuals played a role in the innovation of technology. Alexander Fleming identified
penicillin in 1928, but his discovery did not have a large impact on medical advancement
until 1939, when Florey and Chain revived his research. In 1941, they trialled it on a human,
with some success until their supply ran out. Funding from the US government allowed new
ways of mass-producing and storing penicillin to be discovered. US pharmaceutical
companies begin mass producing penicillin in 1942, saving thousands of lives in the Second
World War and to the modern day. Advancements in medical and manufacturing
technology allowed Florey and Chain to take Fleming’s initial research and develop it into an
effective antibiotic. Therefore, technology was the greatest factor in the advancements in
medical treatments in the 20th Century.
The First World War acted as a catalyst for medical discovery and technological
advancement. To name a few, the war brought about the increased use of mobile x-ray
units which were used to identify shrapnel and bullets in wounds which could cause an
infection if not removed, reducing the mortality rate and static x-rays in hospitals; the
Thomas Splint which increased the survival rate from a leg injury from 20% to 80%;
improved methods of carrying out blood transfusions in hospitals and invented the portable
blood transfusions kit which was using in Casualty Clearing Stations on the Western Front
from 1915. These advancements in medical treatments came about as a result of necessity
due to the war, but also access to improved technology and scientific understanding,
proving that technology was the greatest factor in the advancements made in medical
treatments in the 20th Century.
technology.’ How far do you agree?
You may use the following in your answer:
• Science and technology
• Individuals
You must also use information of your own [16 marks]
Advancements in technology allowed for innovation and development in the treatment of
disease and other branches of medicine, therefore making technology the greatest factor in
the advancement of medical treatment in the 20th Century.
Advancements in technologies used to make diagnosis improved medical treatments as the
diseases could be identified more accurately and therefore treated more effectively. An
example of this is the increased use of blood tests in the 1930s and CT and MRI scans in the
1970s to diagnose disease. There were more courses of treatment available for illnesses, for
example, lung cancer could now be treated using multiple routes: an operation to remove
the tumour, a lung transplant, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and genetic research. These
new courses of treatment were available for use as a result of improving technology and the
availability of this technology. Therefore, technology played a key role in the improvements
made in diagnosis and the development of accurate, effective treatments.
Individuals played a role in the innovation of technology. Alexander Fleming identified
penicillin in 1928, but his discovery did not have a large impact on medical advancement
until 1939, when Florey and Chain revived his research. In 1941, they trialled it on a human,
with some success until their supply ran out. Funding from the US government allowed new
ways of mass-producing and storing penicillin to be discovered. US pharmaceutical
companies begin mass producing penicillin in 1942, saving thousands of lives in the Second
World War and to the modern day. Advancements in medical and manufacturing
technology allowed Florey and Chain to take Fleming’s initial research and develop it into an
effective antibiotic. Therefore, technology was the greatest factor in the advancements in
medical treatments in the 20th Century.
The First World War acted as a catalyst for medical discovery and technological
advancement. To name a few, the war brought about the increased use of mobile x-ray
units which were used to identify shrapnel and bullets in wounds which could cause an
infection if not removed, reducing the mortality rate and static x-rays in hospitals; the
Thomas Splint which increased the survival rate from a leg injury from 20% to 80%;
improved methods of carrying out blood transfusions in hospitals and invented the portable
blood transfusions kit which was using in Casualty Clearing Stations on the Western Front
from 1915. These advancements in medical treatments came about as a result of necessity
due to the war, but also access to improved technology and scientific understanding,
proving that technology was the greatest factor in the advancements made in medical
treatments in the 20th Century.
