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100 years of life-changing discoveries CENTENARY
Celebrating 100 years of the Medical Research Council Editor: Brona McVittie Illustrator: Lindsay McBirnie
Public Engagement, Media & Grants Facility, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, London 2013
Contents What is MRC?...............................................................................................................................5
How MRC was born.....................................................................................................................6
Henry and the Fungus...............................................................................................................16
Wright and the Bacteria............................................................................................................29
Harriette and the Sunshine......................................................................................................40
The Patient Game.......................................................................................................................49
Thank you...................................................................................................................................69
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What is MRC? MRC stands for Medical Research Council. MRC is one of seven UK research councils funded by the taxpayer - through the government science budget - to study the basis of health and disease. MRC funds the work of almost 6000 scientists in the UK and Africa. Their work helps to improve the way that diseases are treated. In 1913, when MRC began, people didn’t know about vitamin-deficiency disease, or what caused flu. And there were no vaccination programmes to protect against infectious diseases like tuberculosis, measles or typhoid. Heroes of Health: 1913 introduces Sirs Henry Dale and Almroth Wright and Dame Harriette Chick, whose pioneering research on the prevention and treatment of disease has changed the lives of people in the UK and across the world. Many of the diseases that were common 100 years ago are rare today thanks to them and their colleagues. Pupils can play the Patient Game to learn about diseases that were common in the past. Some are still common today, like heart disease, the leading cause of death in the world. Pupils can make their own Patient Game cards to imagine the diseases of the future and how scientists will help improve the way that doctors treat patients. Primary school pupils across the UK are invited to submit creative works for the Imagine the Future: Competition. Selected works will be exhibited to celebrate 100 years of the MRC as part of an interactive live-lab installation in 2013. For details of how to take part, teachers should visit www.csc.mrc.ac.uk/centenary to download the teacher’s pack. For more information contact: Brona McVittie brona.mcvittie@csc.mrc.ac.uk Head, Public Engagement, Media & Grants, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, London W12 0NN
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Patient Cards
Cut out the cards and play the Patient Game with your classmates. See page 53 to find out how to play 49
Patient Cards
Cut out the cards and play the Patient Game with your classmates. See page 53 to find out how to play. 51
The Patient Game (Past) Rules of Play A game designed for 9-11 year olds to play in the classroom 1. Cut out or photocopy the patient, doctor and scientist cards 2. Divide up pupils into teams of three or four 3. Decide who in the group will be the patient (one person), who will be the doctor (one person) and who will be the scientist(s) (one to two people) 4. Copy the doctor and scientist cards for each group (only one patient card is needed per group) 5. The teacher will give one patient card to each group (six maximum) 6. When the teacher starts the clock, the patient should act out his/her symptoms 7. The doctor uses the doctor card to identify the correct disease 8. Then, the scientist finds the right scientist card in order to identify the cause of disease and a possible treatment 9. The teacher notes down the time taken by each group, and rewards may be given
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The Patient Game (Future) Rules of Play 1. Pupils split into groups of three to four 2. Each group discusses which diseases might be common in 100 years time 3. The group can choose diseases they already know or imagine a new disease 4. Each group makes their own patient card (with their chosen/imagined disease) using the template on page 51 5. Groups now create a scientist card for their disease describing its cause and possible treatment, and how likely the patient will be to recover from the disease 6. Groups submit their patient and scientist cards to the teacher 7. The teacher makes up a new doctor’s card based the patient cards collected from all groups (removing any duplicates) 8. The teacher appoints pupils in each group to be the patient, doctor or scientist(s) 9. The teacher gives the patient in each group a patient card (making sure not to give a group a disease that they created) 10. Repeat steps 6-9 on page 53
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Patient Game: Scientist Card for Measles Measles is an infectious [IN-FEC-SHUS] disease caused by a virus. Viruses are too small to see, but can cause big problems. They can spread from one person to another through the air. They copy themselves when they get inside the body. The measles virus gives us fever, rash, a cough and lots of small red spots. There is no specific treatment for measles, although patients can take paracetamol [PA-RA-SEED-AMOL] to help with symptoms. They should get better after several days rest. If they are very young, or have low immunity [IM-YOON-IT-EE], there is a risk of death
100 years ago, many children died of measles. Today, measles is rare in the UK, because most children get an injection or vaccine [VAX-EEN]
The measles vaccine (MMR) combines protection against measles, mumps and rubella (German measles). Children get their first injection aged one year, and then again between three and five years of age. Today these infectious conditions are at an all-time-low.
In the past, scientists thought that measles was caused by a bacterium [BAC-TEAR-EE-UM]
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Scientist Card
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Patient Game: Scientist Card for Typhoid Typhoid is caused by bacteria [BAC-TEAR-EE-YA] that get into people’s food or drinking water. They are very small, so you can’t see them
The bacteria can spread from person to person, for example when shaking hands after going to the toilet without washing them
Typhoid can be cured by antibiotics [AUNTIE-BYEAWE-TIX] which can be taken as tablets. Typhoid is rare in the UK today, but if people travel to foreign countries, like Africa or South America, they can get a vaccine [VAX-EEN] to help protect them from the bacteria
Some people are naturally immune [IM-YOON] to typhoid. One example from 100 years ago is ‘Typhoid Mary’, who carried the bacteria. She didn’t get ill, so without knowing it, she spread the bacteria to lots of other people, who got sick
Once inside the body they can make more of themselves. This makes the patient feel ill. The bacteria are called Salmonella [SAL-MON-ELLA] typhi [TIE-FEE] Over 100 years ago the Victorians throught that typhoid was caused by bad smells 57
Scientist Card
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Patient Game: Scientist Card for Scurvy Scurvy is caused by a lack of vitamin C. The body cannot make its own, so all the vitamin C comes in the diet. Vitamin C is necessary for us to make collagen [CALL-AJEN], which helps hold our bodies together. The patient should be put on a healthy balanced diet, with plenty of oranges. Vitamin C tablets should also be taken. After a couple of days they should start to feel better
Scurvy is rare all over the world now. In the past, sailors and pirates suffered from the problem, because ships couldn’t keep fruit and vegetables fresh on long ocean voyages. Unlike humans, most animals can make their own vitamin C. Humans, some monkeys and apes, guinea pigs, bats and some species of bird all have to get the vitamin from their food. Citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage and green peppers are all good sources 100 years ago, scientists used to think that scurvy was caused by waste products from bacteria [BAC-TEAR-EE-YA] found in canned meat 59
Scientist Card
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Patient Game: Scientist Card for Rickets Rickets is caused by a lack of vitamin D. Unlike other vitamins, the body can make its own D with enough sunlight. Vitamin D helps calcium [CAL-SEE-YUM] (from milk) move into the gut. If calcium can’t get into the blood stream, bones can get soft, bend and break. For children who are still growing, this can cause their legs or arms to get twisted. Patients with rickets can get vitamin D from cod-liver oil, which they can take as liquid or tablets. They also need plenty of calcium from milk, and sunlight
Rickets is rare in the UK today, compared to 100 years ago. However, there have been a number of recent cases reported. There is a worry that children, who refuse to eat dairy and/ or fish, and who play computer games for long hours indoors, may not get what they need in their diet and from the sun to make vitamin D. In some African countries, rickets is still a problem, because darker skin needs more sunlight to make vitamin D 100 years ago, scientists used to think that rickets was caused by a virus 61
Scientist Card
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Patient Game: Scientist Card for TB TB is short for Tuberculosis [CHEW-BUR-CUE-LOW-SIS], which is caused by bacteria [BAC-TEAR-EE-YA], spread from person to person when they cough, sneeze or spit, through the air. They are also found in cow’s milk, if not heat treated
TB is rare in the UK today, because most children get a vaccine [VAX-EEN] to protect them from the bacteria. The milk we drink is pasteurised [PAS-CHER-EYES-D], so bacteria are killed off. TB is still a big problem in countries like Africa, where it infects people with HIV AIDS, who have low immunity [IM-YOON-IT-EE]. 100 years ago, lots of people in the UK died from TB. There were no antibiotics and no vaccines. Doctors tried extreme things like deflating the lung of a patient to ‘let it rest’
If breathed into the lungs, the bacteria can make you ill. Once inside the body they can make more of themselves. Treatment with antibiotics [AUNTIE-BYE-AWE-TIX] kills off the bacteria allowing the patient to heal. Antibiotics don’t always work, because the bacteria can become resistant [REZIS-TANT] to them
100 years ago, people thought that TB was caused by vampires
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Scientist Card
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Patient Game: Scientist Card for Heart Disease There are many different causes of heart disease, for example genetics, smoking, fatness, lack of exercise and stress. The main problem is that arteries [OUR-TER-EES] get clogged with stuff. Cholesterol [CO-LESS-TUR-OL], fatty material and cells can build up on blood vessel walls, making it more difficult for blood to flow. This can lower the amount of oxygen [OX-EE-JEN] reaching the heart and tissues, so it gets harder to breathe and move around. Treatment ranges from drugs called statins (to lower blood cholesterol) to surgery (heart bypass operations) Heart disease was one of the leading causes of death 100 years ago. Today, it is still the main cause of death in the UK and across the world. Men over the age of 60 are most at risk. People with heart disease may suffer a stroke or heart attack. Disease is less likely to occur in people who have a healthy balanced diet, and people who don’t smoke and aren’t overweight
In the past, it was thought that sugar caused heart disease 65
Scientist Card
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Doctor’s Card (Side 1) Examine the patient by asking them about what’s wrong with them, and by observing their behaviour. Ask them questions and match their signs and symptoms to the correct problem. Then tell the scientists. Once they have advised you of the cause, you should look at treatment options and communicate these to the patient
RICKETS SYMPTOMS
SCURVY SYMPTOMS
Bone pain or tenderness
Swollen gums
Dental problems
Pain in joints
Muscle weakness
Short of breath
Bent legs
Fever
Low blood calcium
Diarrhoea
Soft skull
Weakness
Widening of wrist
Bruises on legs
Risks: rickets is not fatal, but if untreated bones can become severely deformed causing disability
Redness on cuts Risks: if not treated, heart can bleed inside body and cause sudden death
TYPHOID [TIE-FOY-D] FEVER Fever Heart rate slow Headache Cough Rose spots chest Swollen belly Diarrhoea Gurgling belly Muttering Risks: bleeding inside and burst bowels can cause death if treatment is late
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Doctor’s Card (Side 2)
TB = TUBERCULOSIS [CHEW-BUR-CUE-LO-SIS] SYMPTOMS
HEART DISEASE
MEASLES
Chest pain
Fever
Fever
Pain in one or both arms
Runny nose
Chills
Pain in jaw, neck, shoulder
Cough
Night sweats
Shortness of breath
Red eyes / sensitive to light
Loss of appetite
Dizziness
Grey white spots in mouth
Weight loss
Fast heartbeat
Rash of red / brown spots on body
Tiredness
Feeling sick to the stomach
Blood in mucus from lungs
Tiredness
Risks: if untreated can be fatal, can spread from lungs to other body parts e.g. brain, where it can cause swelling
Risks: if blood vessels get blocked a heart attack or stroke can
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happen, which could be fatal
Risks: causes death in a small number of cases, in young children or patients who have low immunity
Thank you This comic was developed thanks to research and ideas from Kiki von Glasow and Andree Molyneux. Thanks also to Professor Amanda Fisher for helping shape the stories and game. Heroes of Health: 2013 was designed and produced by the Public Engagement, Media & Grants Facility at the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, and funded by the Medical Research Council in celebration of its hundredth birthday. Happy birthday MRC!
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