In 1953, Watson and Crick discovered the structure of DNA — the code of life. In 1967, Christiaan Barnard performed the first heart transplant. In 2003, the Human Genome Project mapped all human genes. Medicine has advanced more in the last 70 years than in the previous 2,000. We can transplant organs, edit genes, fight cancer with targeted drugs, and scan inside the living body. Yet new challenges emerge: antibiotic resistance threatens to return us to pre-penicillin mortality; lifestyle diseases like obesity and diabetes are epidemic; an aging population strains healthcare systems.
DNA Discovery - Crash Course (12 mins) Antibiotic Resistance Crisis - TED-Ed (5 mins)
This introduction covers Setting the Scene within Modern Medicine for GCSE History. Revise Modern Medicine in Medicine Through Time for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 1 of 17 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Modern Medicine
In which year did Watson and Crick discover the structure of DNA?
Who performed the world's first heart transplant in 1967?
Quick recall flashcards
When was the first heart transplant?
1967 — Christiaan Barnard in South Africa
Who discovered DNA structure and when?
Watson and Crick, 1953