Medicine in Britain, c1700-c1900: Vaccination, Germ Theory and Public Health

Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.

• identifies a valid difference, e.g. the 1875 Act was compulsory for local councils, while the 1848 Act only allowed them to make improvements if they chose to.1 mark
• supports the 1848 side, e.g. under the 1848 Act, many councils did little because they were not required to spend money on clean water or sewers.1 mark
• supports the 1875 side, e.g. by 1875, growing acceptance of germ theory and public pressure meant Parliament forced every council to provide clean water, working sewers and a medical officer of health.1 mark
• makes the difference explicit, e.g. moving from a permissive to a compulsory law was central to the real improvement in public health after 1875.1 mark

Nothing ticked yet - 4 available

Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.

• general statements with little specific detail.3 marks
• explains one or two factors (e.g. an individual, government action) with specific detail, but does not link them.3 marks
• explains several linked factors with specific supporting detail, reaching a clear, supported overall explanation.3 marks
• Content that earns credit: Jenner's 1796 development of vaccination gave doctors, for the first time, a way to prevent a specific disease before infection occurred; Pasteur's 1861 germ theory and Koch's later work gave science a real, testable explanation for disease that miasma theory never had; Snow's 1854 investigation showed how careful observation could identify a cause of disease and change local government action even without a full scientific explanation; growing government willingness to legislate, culminating in the compulsory Public Health Act of 1875, translated scientific and individual discoveries into changes that affected the whole population, not just those who could afford good doctors.3 marks

Nothing ticked yet - 12 available

Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.

• general, unsupported assertions.3 marks
• describes individuals and/or other factors with some specific detail, but does not clearly weigh their importance against each other.3 marks
• explains the role of individuals AND at least one other factor (e.g. government, science and technology) with specific detail, beginning to weigh them.2 marks
• a sustained, well-supported judgement weighing individuals against other factors, reaching a clear, justified conclusion.2 marks
• Content supporting the statement: Jenner's development of vaccination in 1796, Snow's tracing of cholera to the Broad Street pump in 1854, and Pasteur's publication of germ theory in 1861 were each the work of a specific, named individual whose insight or persistence drove the discovery.2 marks
• Content challenging the statement: none of these individuals worked alone or changed everyday life by themselves; Jenner's vaccination needed government legislation to become widespread; Snow's findings needed local officials willing to act on his map; Pasteur's science needed Koch, Lister and others to apply it practically, and needed a compulsory Public Health Act in 1875 before ordinary people's water and sewage actually improved.2 marks
• A strong answer concludes with a supported judgement, e.g. that individuals usually provided the crucial spark of discovery, but government legislation and the wider scientific community were needed to turn that spark into a real improvement in the nation's health.2 marks

Nothing ticked yet - 16 available