Key Terms – Scientific and Medical Advances

John Dalton Michael Faraday Wilhelm Roentgen Marie Curie Charles Darwin Gregor Mendel Edward Jenner Louis Pasteur

Robert Koch Joseph Lister William Morton

John Dalton

Dalton → school teacher that stated that atoms are the smallest parts of elements.

Developed a system of atomic weights

Helped lay the foundation for modern atomic theory

Michael Faraday

Faraday → demonstrated that magnetism can produce electricity.

His ideas helped discover that mechanical power can be converted to electrical power.

Also helped invent electric generators

Wilhelm Roentgen

Roentgen → helped discover X-rays in 1895.

Allowed doctors to see into the body to discover broken bones or damaged internal organs.

Marie Curie

Curie → discovered two radioactive elements, radium and polonium.

Also helped to discover how to find new elements.

Both elements she discovered are used in nuclear research.

Charles Darwin

Darwin → helped derive the theory of evolution; the idea that man developed from apes.

Posited that different organisms have to adapt over time to be able to survive and reproduce.

Those that manage to survive are considered to be naturally selected to survive due to their traits.

Broken into three parts: adaptation, competition, and natural selection

Gregor Mendel

Mendel → helped discover the field of genetics.

Experimented with pea plants to figure out which traits are passed down and which ones are not.

Edward Jenner

Jenner → introduced the practice of vaccination.

Figured out that if a patient is given a small amount of a virus, the patient will develop antibodies with which to fight the disease without contracting it.

Louis Pasteur

Pasteur → discovered how to remove bacteria from different liquids.

Discovered that heating materials will kill bacteria within it → pasteurization

Helped explain why immunization works.

Robert Koch

Koch → helped discover how germs cause diseases.

Discovered what causes tuberculosis.

Developed a method of how to culture bacteria.

Joseph Lister and William Morton

- Lister → known for using antiseptics in hospitals.

- using Pasteur's knowledge about germs and their origins, Lister would use strong chemicals to kill bacteria in operating rooms.

- antiseptics, as they would later be called, prevented the spread of infection within hospitals.

- Morton → known for his experimentation with anesthetics.

- experimented with the use of ether as a means of dulling pain during surgery.

- the use of this anesthetic made it easier for patients to go through surgery and also speed up their recovery times.