Chapter 2 - The Beginnings Of Change Flashcards
What was the Renaissance
It was triggered by the rediscovery of a love of all things classical
Led to people challenging ideas and beliefs in science, technology and how the world was viewed
Led to many Eminent people to question the beliefs of Galen and other classical scholars
New inventions such as the microscope revolutionised the work of both scientists and physicians
Inventions of caxtons printing press enabled the more rapid spread of ideas across Britain
Who was Andreas Vesalius
1514-1564 challenged galens works on human anatomy and developed much more accurate views of the inside of the human body, by unlike Galen dissecting humans rather than animals
Carried out his own dissections
Believed anatomy was the key to understanding how human body worked
Published de humani corporis fabrica in 1543 which changed attitudes to medicine
Tell me about being ill in the seventeenth century
Biggest killer diseases in 17th century were fever, consumption, teeth, grilling in the guts and convulsions - not so different from 16 or 15tj century
Treatments not so very different than before
What changed during the Renaissance
Introduced idea of a more scientific method which was readily adopted by some people and scorned by others
Who was ambroise paré,
A French barber surgeon, became a surgeon in French army
He ran out of oil for cauterising wounds so made a mixture of egg yolk, turpentine and oil of roses to dress wounds - much less painful and much more effective at helping healing
Also used ligatures to tie off wounds after amputation instead of cauterisation - found wounds healed better
Later developed artificial limbs for those who had lost a hand or leg due to wounds
Time as an army surgeon allowed paré to observe his patients and treat them more effectively
Published experiences in a book “Les oeuvres in 1575” and became famous across Europe
Considered one of the fathers of modern surgery
What part did art play in improving people’s health during the Renaissance
Artists like Leonardo da Vinci went to great lengths to study the human body so they could better represent it in their drawings and paintings
Began to study corpses to help them accurately draw humans
Short step from dissecting parts of body’s to see how muscles and sinews worked
Artists also illustrated the medical books, helping to spread new knowledge and ideas
Tell me about the Renaissance and Galen
Many of galens works retranslated into Greek and Latin - compared and efforts made to get back to the original meaning
Galen regarded as the font of all medical knowledge
- but this didn’t last
More artists and surgeons studied anatomy and the more humans dissected they began to notice discrepancies between what Galen said and what they were discovering for themselves
Initial reaction was that Galen was right, and the current anatomists were wrong
Gradually enough opinions grew to successfully challenge Galen and cast doubts on his observations - once challenged on anatomy then other challenges followed
Medical world split in 2 - physicians who learned from texts such as Galen and surgeons who were exploring the human body on a daily basis and we’re learning by experiment
Scientific discovery played a part in this as new tools like the microscopes - so both scientists and medical men could look at things in ever more detail
Tell me about William Harvey
Most famous work was on the “on the motion of the heart” was published in 1628, challenged the work of Galen and the ancients
While studying In Padua, Harvey was taught that veins in the human body had valves and blood pumped only 1 way but no one knew how or why
Harvey experimented on animals and discovered blood was pumped around the body in a circular motion - lead to discovery of circulation of blood
Discovery made as a result of theoretical work as he was unable to see capillaries in bloodstream and made due to experiment and observation
Work on amphibians allowed him to see the blood circulating much more slowly
Showed in diagrams blood only flowed one way
Also able to show that galens belief that the liver not the heart was the centre of the human body was completely wrong
Galen believed liver made new blood to prescribe that lost around the body
But circulation of blood proved this wrong and also challenged bleeding as a cure - if Harvey was right then it was impossible for body to have To much blood
How was Harvey’s work reacted to
Those who supported Galen heavily rejected it
Argued Harvey couldnt see capillaries and therefore couldn’t prove their existence
Most we’re conservative and resistant to change - Harvey lost a lot of patients due to his crazy ideas
Who was Thomas Sydenham
Said to be English Hippocrates
Said best medical book was to read Don Quixote
Believed in close observations of symptoms of a disease and as little intervention as possible
carefully Monitor I symptoms and treatments given that way to build up a body of knowledge
B
Believe each disease had different characteristics
Developed a successful treatment to treat smallpox- used piled blankets on the patient and administered lots of hot drinks trying to sweat the disease out of body. Sydenham divised a cool ther lay prescribing lots of fluids, very moderate bleeding and keeping the patient as cool as possible - has echoes of 4 humours
What was the don Quixote
First published in 1605
Follows adventures of Don Quixote as he travels around the country, righting wrongs and having adventures
Regarded as one of the best novels in any country at the time and would have been well known by educated people in Britain
Tell me about John hunter
1728-93
Was a famous surgeon and anatomist and came to believe the best way to heal deep wounds was to leave as much as possible to nature
Served as a surgeon during the seven years war where he dealt with gunshot wounds and amputations
Edward Jenner was one of his students
He was known as the father of scientific surgery
Summarise the impact of the Renaissance in Britain
Initially Renaissance strengthened the ideas of Galen in the way disease should be treated
The Renaissance also brought about a more questioning approach to the work of Galen and Hippocrates
Harvey and Sydenham Made advances in the way people understood and treated diseases
Some people supported the new ideas while others opposed them, sticking closely to galens teaching
It’s difficult to decide to what extent these new ideas impacted on health and the people
Were people more likely to survive surgery then in medieval times than in early modern Britain
Ambrose paré improved surgery
Surgeons skilled improved too, still no reliable anaesthetics although wine and opium began to be. Used widely with unpredictable results - an incorrect dose could prove fatal
Tell me about Samuel Pepys
Gave an example of how ordinairy people viewed the prospect of an operation
On March 26 1658 he underwent an operation successful to remove s stone from his bladder
Tell me some of the changes in the status of training surgeons
In 18th century more than half of practising “doctors” seem to have been men who just served an apprenticeship
Only 4% had a medical degree from an English university
You had to have a license now and no one could practice as a surgeon within 7 miles of the city of London unless examined by the Royal college of surgeons
In 1811 regulations insisted that to be a surgeon ylu had to Attend at least one course in anatomy and one in surgery
In 1813 further decrees you must have a minimum of one years experience j. A hospital
World of the surgeon was beck in more regulated
Tell me what London was like 1665
Plague struck in 1665. The mayor of London ordered watchmen to guard houses to make sure the sick and their families stayed shut up
House owners were ordered to sweep the streets outside their homes
Taverns and theatres were closed to stop plague spreading
More ideas and cures about
What medicines were used in early modern Britain
By this time most towns would have had at least one pharmacy, sometimes run by ex monks. Most people continued to be treated by local wise women or with family remedies. Although a market was developing in self help medicine books
Tell me about lady Johanna St. John
Typical local lady, had a book of cures, grew many of the herbs she needed in the walled garden - cures like a bleeding nose
Collected successful remedies from her London friends - sent them to lydiard house to be made up into medicines which were sent back to London
Went well beyond dosing up servants on the estate with traditional family treatments
Tell me about Nicholas culpeper
Published his complete herbal in 1653 and still in print today, wrote in English
Server an apothecary in London then set up his own shop
Treated people for free and talked to people rather than looking at urine
Culpeper classified herbs and plants by uses. Tried to combine the use of herbs with doctrine of signatures and astrology
Wasn’t a modernist
Tell me about using ingredients from around the world to deal with disease
Tobacco found and rhubarb for herbal remedies - smoking a pipe was an excellent way to keep plague at bay
Tell me about quackery
In 17th and 18th century there was a huge increase in people inventing and selling medicines
So quacks (someone who boasts loudly about his cures) sold medicines not understanding what they did or if they worked and they often moved on before purchasers realised the product didn’t work or if they did it was by accident
Main ingredients of quacks were opium and alcohol
Success in quackery often depended on sellers personal charm and charisma
Tell me about daffys elixir
Claimed it cure convulsion, fits, consumption, agues, piles, fits and more and sold across Britain and the empire until the 19th century, main ingredient was brandy -
Only thing t would cure was constipation as it was a laxative
Tell me about the growth of hospitals
Thomas coram opened the foundling hospital in 1741 to provide care for abandoned children
Spent over 10 years collecting funds
Hospital arranged for foster families to care for children and then be educated
Tell me about voluntary hospitals
Started to appear in the early 18th century usually funded by inheritances
Fill the gap left left by the abolition of the monasteries
Developed their new ideas of dealing with disease while working there, although nurses were still untrained and usually unskilled
Tell me about Robert burton
Published a study of mental illness in 1621 - blamed lack of excercise, idleness, excessive pleasure and too much studying
For melancholy he recommended fresh air, excercise music and laughter as a remedy
Tell me about Jane sharp
In 1671 she published the midwives book which combines the medical knowledge of the time of midwifery with personal anecdotes. Argued midwifery should be reserved for women at a time men were taking over the trade
Practical advice was widely read and used
Tell me about sir John floyer
Published his “a treatise on asthma” in 1698 and was the first to identify the causes of the disease and offer a regime for treating it - including clean air and diet
Tell me about George Cheyne
Published “and essay on health and long life” in 1724 and was enormously successful
Argued that obesity and nervous disorders were caused by heredity and poor lifestyle
Argued people should take responsibility for their health and prevent illness rather than rely on doctors if they were ill
Tell me about James lind
In 1753 he came up for a cure for scurvy - a disease prevalent among sailers who were deprived of fresh fruit and vegetables
Made to drink lime juice every day to stop catching scurvy
Scurvy killed more British sailors than war
Summarise dealing with disease
People were more likely to survive surgery than earlier times although still very risky
New medicines introduced to Britain from around the world
Printing meant it was easier to spread new ideas
Many health professionals still opposed changes to their practices
Most people still had very limited access to medical treatment
