Medical advances were abundant during the 20th century, with major breakthroughs in technology, chemistry, biology, and pharmacology that overlapped to eradicate many diseases. Over the course of the 20th century, drugs to treat illness such as aspirin, the arsenic-based compound Salvarsin to treat syphilis, antibioitcs such as penicillin, steroid hormones such as cortisone were discovered and found to be effective in treating a multitude of fatal and nonfatal illnesses. In addition, the first antiviral vaccines were discovered, including smallpox and polio. These advances lead to drastic improvement in collective health and life expectancy, and fatal diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis that lead to roughly one-third of all deaths in 1900 are rare in the US now. While some drugs had basis in natural techniques that had been around for centuries, the 20th century also saw the rise of synthesizing new, unnatural drugs often by the process of computer-aided design (CAD).
In response to the multitude of drugs being tested and put unto place came regulation of drugs by government agencies. Over time, drug laws and regulatory agencies have expanded, sometimes in response to health crises caused by the release of a drug. Drugs are now analyzed in their performance in clinical trials, in terms of their risk-to-benefit ratios, mutagenicity, teratogenicity (cancer-causing) and other factors. The climate of medical change accompanied by major advances in science and technology had large implications on culture and society.
– Lauren Hodgson
Sources:
http://www.planetseed.com/relatedarticle/20th-century-and-drugs-treat-sicknesses
http://www.pharmsci.uci.edu/history.php
http://www.britannica.com/topic/pharmaceutical-industry/Drug-discovery-and-development