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Marie Curie’s work on radiation opened up the way for the first successful treatments for cancer. Modern scanning techniques, blood tests and genetics have all helped to diagnose cancers earlier. Alongside modern treatments, eg chemotherapy, and radiation treatment, they have greatly reduced the number of deaths from cancer.

Other developments have also improved the treatment. Modern anaesthetics are injected directly into the bloodstream, meaning better control of dosage.

Greater specialisation means surgeons tend to concentrate on specific areas of medicine, eg cardiac surgery. Modern scanning techniques give surgeons a much better idea of the problem before they begin to operate.

Viral infections

In spite of so much progress in the treatment of illness and disease, doctors are still not able to cure viral infections such as the common cold. Life expectancy is increasing, but cancer and heart disease remain two of the major causes of death, particularly among older people.