History Rennaisance Flashcards
Pros of Science and Tech
-The Renaissance saw the beginning of scientific method - which involved conducting an experiment, collecting observations, then coming to a conclusion
-The invention of the printing press, a machine that allowed documents to be copied easily, meant that new ideas could spread more quickly around Europe.
The most famous printing press was the first made in 1438 by Johannes Gutenberg.
This helped medicine because it allowed people to swap ideas about diseases easily therefore helping them create new ideas.
The invention of new weapons (especially gunpowder) led to soldiers getting different sorts of wounds such as powder burns and bullet wounds.
This was important for medicine because it challenged doctors to make new treatments on the battlefields to cope with these new wounds.
(Ambroise Pare)
-Born 1510 in France.
-Barber surgeon in Paris at Hotel Dieu
-1536 army surgeon and worked for 20 years in battle treating gunshot and sword wounds
Died 1590
Pros of Individuals
William Harvey: In 1628, a new theory was published in Britain, which suggested that blood circulated around the body instead of being made in the liver, as taught by Galen
Prof. of surgery and taught anatomy; did his own dissections, published drawings he believed had a place in medicine.
Published ‘The Fabric of the Human Body’ in 1543. Each section started with complete picture, which then was broken down and examined layer by layer - corrected Galen’s mistakes! He was one of the first to challenge Galen’s work; in fact he corrected over 200 mistakes Galen had made. Galen, who mostly had to dissect pigs and apes made mistakes about the human body by assuming the human body was similar.
According to the Fabrica, one single bone made up the upper jaw. Vesalius berated Galen for claiming that it contained two, charging that the ancient sage based his claims on the observation of animals
A new method for anatomical progression – public dissection, publication of work with diagrams.
A well respected doctor in London in the 1660s and 1670s. Sydenham’s work was important in moving medicine in Britain away from the classical ideas of Galen and Hippocrates.
Encouraged his students to observe their patients and note down their symptoms in detailed descriptions and then look for remedies. Theorised that the nature of the patient had little to do with disease.
Wasn’t able to isolate and identify the various microorganisms causing diseases he was observing.. But he was able to identify that measles and scarlet fever were separate diseases.
Pros of the reformation and rennaissance
Beautiful art was being created in new styles and new techniques, beliefs were changing with new forms of Christianity and a more secular society developing, with understanding of the surrounding world increasing with scientific discoveries.
Changes in religion known as the reformation led to the decline in the Church’s authority even though most people remained strongly religious
Artists (such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Titian) transformed painting as they painted the world and things relevant to people in new ways.
This led them to study the body in more detail, and was connected to improved knowledge of anatomy
His Fabric of the Human Body 1543 - Really important
A complete study of human anatomy, complete with diagrams by Titian (famous painter)
Pros of Attitudes if Beliefs
-Especially in the beginning of the renaissance people were likely to believe the same things about the cause of illness as their medeival ancestors . very little changed in the practise of medicine in this period
however across all of Europe - enormous shifts were taking place in other areas of life
Due to these changes, medical knowledge grew with the changing attitudes of ordinary people.
The general population of Europe wanted better answers to questions about what caused disease.
Changes in religion known as the reformation led to the decline in the Church’s authority even though most people remained strongly religious
Cons of Individuals
There was no point studying correct drawings of the internal organs when it was impossible to diagnose or treat illness
Practise do not change but ideas did
New theories might have been convincing but without proof - they were just theories.
Cons of Science and Tech
Lack of quality medical instruments such as microscopes prevented any rapid change in people’s beliefs about the cause of disease.
Cons of Attitudes and Beliefs
-Especially in the beginning of the renaissance people were likely to believe the same things about the cause of illness as their medeival ancestors . very little changed in the practise of medicine in this period
as a result many doctors stuck to old theorys
Changes in religion known as the reformation led to the decline in the Church’s authority even though most people remained strongly religious
Reformation/Renaissance Cons
People still believed deeply in the church and not everyone changed
Royal Society
The establishment of the royal society was very crucial to the medical change in the rennaisannce because it formed a group of scientific people who were not afraid to come up with theories that were at odds with Galen . The royal society sought to come up with new answers to old medical problems that had previously only been answered by Hippocrates and Galen .
During the Renaissance people began to question the church meaning that science and experiments became more popular. As a result a group called the Royal Society being established.
Scientists such as Robert Hooke met there to share ideas leading to many new discoveries such as new microscopes.
This was important for medicine because it encouraged people to work together to find new ideas about the causes and treatments of disease.
Its official foundation date is 28 November 1660
Aim : to found ‘a College for the Promoting of Physico-Mathematical Experimental Learning’.
Protected by king Charles II
Had a library (the first book was presented in 1661) and a museum of specimens of scientific interest .
Isaac Newton was one of its Presidents in the 18th century.
What it did…
Published books and journals such as the Philosophical Transactions.
Translated books into English.
Held meetings to witness experiment
Members to have experiment diaries
Had a regular journal publishing news
Government in 1850 helped by giving a grant to the Society of £1,000 to assist scientists in their research and to buy equipment.
Important because unlike Universities, it was not afraid of change and was ready to accept new ideas which were not necessary in line with those of Galen.
Scientific approach and scientific method
scientific approach : testing and recording details, then sharing these results with other people
Scientific method was also important because it started a way of thinking (conducting experiments collecting evidence and making a conclusion) that eventually led to the questioning of the ideas of Hippocrates and Galen
The Renaissance saw the beginning of scientific method - which involved conducting an experiment, collecting observations, then coming to a conclusion.
Universities built new medical schools where scholars looked at ancient ideas about medicine. At first they thought that they were proving these ideas but soon they began to conduct experiments which led them to question the knowledge of the Hippocrates and Galen. This was important for the development of medicine
This way of thinking encouraged people to make their own discoveries and question other peoples theories rather than just accepting them as fact this progressed science during the period 1700. This kind of thinking built the building blocks for further medical dicoveries and change .
When Plague was raging in London in 1665, what did people think was causing disease? and how did they prevent it ?
Lots of people still believed in the theory of miasma (bad air) that carried and caused sickness and disease and advised people to carry around posies with them
Some thought the plague was sent by God as a punishment
Quarantined patients Diet-fasting
Smoking tobacco to ward of miasma
Soaking coins in vinegar to disinfect the coins
How did they treat or prevent disease from spreading? and how was it difficult to ? in plagueen times
Lots of people still believed in the theory of miasma (bad air) that carried and caused sickness and disease and advised people to carry around posies with them
Another way to prevent disease was to quarantine the sick and their families in their houses and to close places like taverns and theatres to stop the spread of the plague
Some people still believed in hippocrates theory of the four humours and that it wasnt plague just an imbalance of your humours and that you needed to be bled.
Physicians advised that patients be wrapped in thick woollen cloths and laid by a fire so that they could sweat the disease out.
Transference was also popular – such as strapping a live chicken to a bubo were meant to draw out the poison.
Herbal remedies continued.
Quack doctors (no qualifications) took advantage.
What evidence can you see in the streets to explain why it was still so hard to keep towns clean.
there were a lot of animals and people around in a small area
what were the causes of the great plague ?
growth of cities and towns during renaissance
In the renaissance period, some cities and towns became very large and in the infectious diseases were difficult to control
During an epidemic local authorities often ordered a clean-up and might order barrels of tar to be burned in the streets to purify the air, while the king and central government might order a day of prayer. However, these measures would have little effect.
Plague had been around in England for centuries but in 1665 the so-called Great Plague hit the country - though it was Stuart London that took the worst of the plague. The plague was only finally brought under control in 1665 when the Great Fire of London burned down the areas most affected by plague – the city slums inhabited by the poor.
The great plague killed an estimated 100,000 people, about 15% of London’s population.
This put a lot of pressure on the town authorities and laws were passed to stop the plague spreading.
William Harvey and the discovery of the circulation of the blood
In 1628, a new theory was published in Britain, which suggested that blood circulated around the body instead of being made in the liver, as taught by Galen
Improvements in medical training
Universities built new medical schools where scholars looked at ancient ideas about medicine. At first they thought that they were proving these ideas but soon they began to conduct experiments which led them to question the knowledge of the Hippocrates and Galen. This was important for the development of medicine
A well respected doctor in London in the 1660s and 1670s. Sydenham’s work was important in moving medicine in Britain away from the classical ideas of Galen and Hippocrates.
Encouraged his students to observe their patients and note down their symptoms in detailed descriptions and then look for remedies. Theorised that the nature of the patient had little to do with disease.
Vesalius inspired other Doctors and professors now carried out dissections themselves, rather than a surgeon.
Continuity in treatment during the Medical Renaissance
Continuity in treatment during the Medical Renaissance
Many people still believed in
the old theories of Galen
and Hippocrates like the theory of the 4 humours
Some still blamed astrology
And like the medieval period some still blamed God
The church still had
a lot of control over
medical things although
less than the medieval period
