George Cleghorn 1716 – 1794, Doctor George Cleghorn was born in Edinburgh, and went to Edinburgh University to study medicine. He was a surgeon in the army, and was sent to work on the island of Minorca, near Spain. When he went back to Edinburgh he wrote a book about all the diseases and medical conditions that he had seen on the island.

A cure for malaria In the book he said that quinine, which came from the bark of the cinchona tree, acted as a cure for malaria. Malaria is a disease that you can get if you are bitten by a mosquito. Mosquitoes are little flies that are found in warm countries. Malaria gives you a headache and a fever and can make you very ill.

A cure for malaria Lots of people die of malaria every year, mostly children in Africa. Malaria isn’t found in Britain at the moment, but it was very common at the time when George Cleghorn lived, and killed lots of people. It is very important to wear mosquito repellent and keep your skin covered if you go to a place where there are mosquitoes.

A cure for malaria George Cleghorn’s book was published in 1751 and was called ‘Observations on the Epidemical Diseases in Minorca from the year 1744 to 1749’. When people started using quinine to treat malaria, far fewer people died of the disease. Quinine can still be used to treat malaria today, although more effective medicines are available now.

Germs and diseases George Cleghorn investigated malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes. But not all diseases are spread by insects, so how do they spread? Some diseases are spread by germs. Germs are tiny little bugs that live everywhere. Germs are really small, so we can’t see them unless we use a microscope. But even though they are small, they can be very dangerous, because these tiny little germs can spread very nasty diseases.

Germs and diseases You have probably seen advertisements on TV for cleaning products that kill germs. Germs are usually shown as little creatures with arms and legs and an evil looking face. But this is not what germs really look like. They are actually tiny little cells with no arms and legs, and no evil face. Lots of illnesses are caused by germs, such as sore throats, ear ache, flu and measles. When germs get inside our bodies they start to multiply and spread through the body, making us ill.

Germs and diseases Germs can be spread by coughing and sneezing. They can also live on surfaces like door handles and bins. This is why it is important to wash your hands after going to the toilet, and to cover your mouth and nose if you are coughing and sneezing.

The George Cleghorn challenge 1.Name two ways that germs can spread. 2.Name two places at home that germs could live 3.Name two places at school that germs could live. 4.Name two illnesses that are caused by germs. SCN 1-13a

The George Cleghorn challenge (answers) 1.Coughing, sneezing or touching hands 2.TV remote control, kitchen surface, bath, food, bins 3.Computer keyboard, door handles, tables, chairs, toilets 4.sore throat, ear ache, measles, chicken pox, flu

James Lind 1716 – 1794, Doctor James Lind was born in Edinburgh. He served as a surgeon in the navy before doing a medical degree at Edinburgh University. At the time, scurvy was the biggest killer of sailors.

Scurvy Scurvy was a very nasty disease. The sailors would get bleeding gums, their muscles would waste away so they felt weak and tired, and their joints would be swollen. Their skin would also feel tender, their teeth would become loose and fall out, and if they cut themselves the wounds wouldn’t heal properly, so they could become infected.

A cure for scurvy Scurvy is caused by not getting enough vitamin C. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits like oranges, and it is very important that we get enough vitamin C in our diet. Lind said that the navy should give lemons and limes to the sailors, but they didn’t listen to him. 40 years later, after Lind had died, they tried giving fruit to sailors, and straight away they stopped getting scurvy.

A balanced diet There are lots of other vitamins that we get from our foods, and it is important to have a balanced diet so that we are healthy and get all the vitamins that we need. All foods can be divided into five groups: – Fruits and vegetables – Starchy foods such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta – Meat, fish, eggs and beans – Milk and dairy foods – Foods containing fat and sugar

The James Lind challenge Play the James Lind lotto game to learn which group different foods belong to. The game can be played in groups of up to six pupils. Each pupil will need a lotto board. The aim of the game is to collect all the cards for your board. You could spread all the cards face down on the table and get pupils to turn over a card in turn, giving the card to the person who needs it for their board. Or someone (the teacher for example) can be the ‘caller’ and turn over all the cards one by one, allocating them to the correct person. The first person to complete their board is the winner. HWB 1-30a