Plagues and the Rise of Medicine

History · 20 questions

Humanity's oldest enemy and everything it forced us to learn.

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1. How did the Black Death affect 14th century Europe?

   1. It struck only the largest cities
   2. It killed a very large share of the population
   3. It burned out within a few months
   4. It affected only armies
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   B) It killed a very large share of the population

2. Which doctor cut maternal deaths by insisting on handwashing?

   1. Louis Pasteur
   2. Robert Koch
   3. Ignaz Semmelweis
   4. Joseph Lister
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   C) Ignaz Semmelweis

3. Which physician traced a London cholera outbreak by mapping cases?

   1. John Snow
   2. Edward Jenner
   3. Alexander Fleming
   4. William Harvey
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   A) John Snow

4. Which observation led to the first smallpox vaccine?

   1. Plant extracts cured the sick
   2. Blood transfusion gave immunity
   3. Hot water treatment worked
   4. People who caught cowpox seemed protected
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   D) People who caught cowpox seemed protected

5. What is the idea that microorganisms cause disease called?

   1. Germ theory
   2. Miasma theory
   3. Humoral theory
   4. Vitalism
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   A) Germ theory

6. What did miasma theory blame disease on?

   1. Dirty water
   2. Insect bites
   3. Inheritance
   4. Bad air
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   D) Bad air

7. Which surgeon introduced antiseptic practice into operations?

   1. Ignaz Semmelweis
   2. Joseph Lister
   3. Ambroise Paré
   4. Andreas Vesalius
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   B) Joseph Lister

8. How was penicillin discovered?

   1. Through a planned series of trials
   2. By extracting it from a plant
   3. A mould contaminated a culture dish
   4. During animal experiments
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   C) A mould contaminated a culture dish

9. How did anaesthesia change surgery?

   1. It reduced the number of operations
   2. It made long, careful operations possible
   3. It ended infection completely
   4. It lowered costs sharply
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   B) It made long, careful operations possible

10. What was unusual about the 1918 influenza pandemic?

    1. It appeared only in winter
    2. It stayed within Europe
    3. It hit healthy young adults hard as well
    4. It caused no deaths
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    C) It hit healthy young adults hard as well

11. What can be said about smallpox today?

    1. It remains widespread
    2. It is only held back by vaccination
    3. A new strain has appeared
    4. It has been eradicated worldwide
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    D) It has been eradicated worldwide

12. Quarantine as a practice originated in response to which disease?

    1. Plague
    2. Cholera
    3. Malaria
    4. Tuberculosis
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    A) Plague

13. What is the main driver of antibiotic resistance?

    1. The emergence of new viruses
    2. Climate change
    3. Widespread vaccination
    4. Unnecessary and incomplete use
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    D) Unnecessary and incomplete use

14. Which creature spreads malaria?

    1. The rat
    2. The flea
    3. The mosquito
    4. The tick
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    C) The mosquito

15. In the Middle Ages disease was often blamed on the positions of the planets.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True

16. Inoculation against smallpox was introduced to Europe partly from Ottoman practice.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True

17. Antibiotics are effective against viruses.

    1. True
    2. False
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    B) False

18. William Harvey was the first to describe blood circulation correctly.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True

19. The idea that handwashing reduces infection was accepted immediately.

    1. True
    2. False
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    B) False

20. Plague can be treated with antibiotics today.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True