Medicine through time

Medicine through time - content, activities and blog for teachers and learners of medicine through time

How has chance influenced the development of Medicine through time?

Chance is another way of saying 'luck'. In the development of medicine there have been several occasions where breakthroughs have happened as a result of chance. These are breakthroughs that result from no pre-planning, they are cases in which a new idea or method has come about as a result of circumstance rather than scientific processes.

The following are a few examples of chance discoveries: Pare ran out of oil and was forced to use whatever was at hand to treat gunshot wounds. By chance he came up with a much improved solution which eased pain and healed wounds much more effectively.

Another chance discovery was made by Alexander Fleming. Though working in a scientific manner he discovered Penicillin because someone had forgotten to tidy up properly! Had procedures been carried out as they should have been, Fleming would never have seen the growth of Penicillin, as the equipment should have been washed and put away before the bacteria had grown.

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