This source analysis covers Source Analysis Practice within Modern Medicine for GCSE History. Revise Modern Medicine in Medicine Through Time for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 4 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 8 of 17 in this topic. Use this source analysis to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 8 of 17
Practice
8 questions
Recall
4 flashcards
📜 Source Analysis Practice
Applying NOP Analysis:
Nature: This is an official public health fact sheet — a summary document produced by an international health authority, written in accessible language for a broad audience of policymakers, healthcare workers, and the general public. It presents evidence in a clear, authoritative format designed to prompt action.
Origin: Published by the World Health Organisation in 2018. The WHO is the United Nations agency responsible for international public health and has been monitoring antibiotic resistance globally for decades. Its statements carry the authority of international scientific consensus and data from member countries worldwide.
Purpose: To raise awareness of antibiotic resistance as a critical global health threat and to encourage governments, healthcare professionals, and individuals to take action — reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, completing courses of treatment, and investing in new drug research. It is deliberately alarming in tone to provoke urgent response.
Grade 9 Model Paragraph:
This source is useful for an enquiry into modern medical challenges because it provides authoritative evidence that antibiotic resistance threatens to reverse the gains of the penicillin era — the WHO's global reach means its assessment draws on data from across the world, giving the warning statistical credibility. The specific examples (pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea) help explain the human scale of the problem. However, its utility is limited by its purpose: as an advocacy document designed to alarm and motivate action, the WHO may emphasise worst-case scenarios rather than presenting a balanced assessment of progress alongside challenges. It therefore needs to be read alongside evidence of continued pharmaceutical investment in new antibiotics and alternative treatments.