Ideas About Cause Of Disease Flashcards
Which years were the Romans times?
0-500AD
Which years were the Middle Ages?
1250-1500
Which years were the Renaissance?
1500-1700
Which years were the Industrial Age?
1700-1900
During the Roman period, what four things did people believe caused disease?
God (Asceplius and Apollo), theory of miasmas, theory of the four humours, logical ideas
Explain the theory of miasmas
Bad air causes disease. This includes bad smells from privies and faeces lying in the street as well as the vapour and corrupted air which gets vented during earthquakes
Explain the theory of four humours
Proposed by Galen and Hipócrates. The body is made up of yellow bile, black bile, blood and phlegm. An imbalance of these causes disease
Which 3 beliefs about cause of disease were carried into the Middle Ages and why?
Believed the theory of four humours because Galens ideas were promoted by the church, theory of miasmas, still believed God caused disease because they were very religious
How did beliefs about cause of disease develop in the Middle Ages? 2 ways
They developed a belief that astrology had an impact on disease; they were adamant that the close position of the three great planets (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars) was a sign of wonderful, terrible or violent things to come (one of these things was disease) The society was very superstitious and also believed certain zodiacs were associated with certain diseases
What did Romans and people in the Middle Ages believe about God causing disease?
They were very religious societies. They thought God inflicted plagues in order to terrify or torment people and so drive out their sins. They also believed he inflicted suffering as vengeance of sins such as dishonouring and despising your father or mother
Define enlightenment
Movement stressing the importance of reason and critical re-evaluation of existing ideas and social institutions (church, science, government)
Define renaissance
Re birth/renewal. The period of this revival which marked the transition from medieval to modern times
Define reformation
The action or process of reforming an institution or practice
8 words we could associate with the Renaissance period
Art, paintings, sculptures, architecture, scientific discoveries, rebirth, age of individuals, inventions
Name 8 key changes in the context of medicine during the Renaissance
Governments such as that of Henry VIII were strong and rich, artists such as Michelangelo and De Vinci revolutionised painting, revival of learning, invention of printing press, discovery of America by Columbus, invention of new weapons especially gunpowder, the Reformation, technological developments in mechanisms such as pumps and clocks
Why did strong and rich governments lead to changes in medicine? 7 impacts
The economy boomed and trade prospered, people could afford doctors. Therefore more investment went into discoveries, countries could receive foreign medicines through trade, spread of disease would decrease if more people could afford treatment, more medicines and treatments could be tested on patients now they could afford it
Why did the development of painting lead to changes in medicine? 3 impacts
This led to scientists studying the body in more detail and was connected to improved knowledge of the anatomy as doctors could now hire artists to create realistic images of the body to learn from. This may have helped doctors and scientists decipher whether certain medicines would be taken in or rejected from the body as they were more aware of the way it functioned
What was the scientific method?
Conducting an experiment, collecting observations, then coming to a conclusion
When was the Royal society set up and what 3 things did they do?
1662, a group of scientists met regularly to discuss new ideas in physics,botany, astronomy and other sciences and demonstrated experiments. They wrote books and articles to spread ideas about new ideas and discoveries
Why did the revival of learning lead to changes in medicine ?
The population was better educated therefore could propose more logical ideas about the cause of disease and understand the body and the way it functions better
What 3 things did the revival of revival involve?
Universities set up schools of medicine, beginning of the scientific method, Royal society established 1662
Give 5 impacts of the Royal Society
Science began to replace superstition in medicine, it was important for well educated people to be knowledgeable in both science and art, people were not afraid to challenge old ideas, new ideas founded, more knowledge of anatomy and how the body functions
When was the printing press invented and by who?
1450s by Gutenburg
Give 5 impacts of the printing press
Enabled fast flow of information, encouraged spread of new ideas, people had motivation to read which meant a more educated population, books printed in languages other than Latin, first book to be printed in several volumes and copies was the bible, people questioned why mass was still being delivered in Latin
Why did the discovery of America lead to changes in medicine?
New foods and medicines were brought back from the ‘New World’. Different medicines would target different diseases
Why did the invention of new weapons lead to changes in medicine?
Soldiers got different types of wounds which battlefield doctors had to deal with. This means doctors would know how to tackle a greater range of illnesses
What did the reformation involve?
The dominance of the Catholic Church was challenged and their control over people’s attitudes and beliefs started to change, in particular in enabling dissection of the body to start
Why did the reformation lead to changes in medicine?
Science began to replace superstition when considering causes of disease (the population was thinking more logically). By performing human dissections, knowledge on the anatomy could improve
Why did technological developments cause changes in medicine?
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek developed lenses for a microscope in the 1640s which meant bacteria and germs could be looked at more closely. Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria which he described as ‘animalcules’ in a letter to the royal society in 1673
How much did medicine change between 1350-1750?
There were significant changes in people’s knowledge and understanding of the human body during the Renaissance period but very little improvement in the understanding and treatment of illness. When there was a plague epidemic in 1665, the treatments used were similar to those in 1348 and ordinary medical treatment continued to be based on the four humours
During the Renaissance period what did people believe would cure them of tuberculosis?
A kings touch. Charles II (1630-1685) touched over 8000 sufferers of the disease in one year
Name 9 factors which prevented the development of medicine in the Renaissance
The church controlled education and medical training, the church discouraged dissection, herbal remedies were passed down from one generation to the next, many people were reluctant to change the way they did things, the works of Galen were used as basis for all medical training, some people felt better after they were purged or bled, few people could afford to go to a trained physician, many people believed there lives were affected by supernatural events, most minor illnesses were treated by the women in the family
Who was Andreas Vesalius?
He came from a family of physicians, studied medicine in Paris where he met Renaissance artists who were dissecting human bodies to study anatomy and make their paintings more realistic, and became a professor at Padua university at 23 years of age
What did Vesalius do?
Performed dissections and produced anatomical charts of blood and nervous systems. In 1539 a Paduan judge made criminals bodies available to him to study and dissect
What did people believe before Vesalius?
Doctors before Vesalius believed the books of Galen were completely correct and had all the medical knowledge they needed so there was no need to learn more by dissecting human bodies
Give 4 examples of Vesalius’ corrections of Galen
Galen said the heart was divided by a septum which had holes in it to allow blood to pass through but Vesalius showed the septum did not have holes in it. Galen said the liver had five parts or lobes but Vesalius showed the liver did not have any lobes. Galen said the lower jaw was made up of two bones but Vesalius showed that, although this was true in monkeys and pigs, in humans it was only a single bone. Galen said the sternum had seven parts but Vesalius showed it only has three.
Why were Galens ideas wrong?
He was forced to perform dissections on pigs and apes due to religious reasons but the anatomy of an animal is different to that of a human which would cause him to come to the wrong conclusion
What 4 key ideas are in Vesalius’ book ‘On the fabric of the human body’?
Anatomy professors must base their work on their own human dissection, scientific observation and evidence should be used rather than books by Galen, anatomy was vital to further knowledge, Galen and Ibn Sienna were wrong.
Why was Vesalius’ book important? 4 reasons
This was the first modern anatomical text book, had 23 full page anatomical pictures, very successful across Europe due to the printing press and high quality illustrations. Vesalius was the first medical expert to realise the importance of collaboration between artists and scientists
What did Vesalius’ ideas encourage? 3 things
Encouraged others like William Harvey to investigate how blood moves round the body, Fabricus used Vesalius’ work and studied the heart in detail, other specialists followed to concentrate on certain parts of the human body
What were limitations of Vesalius’ ideas? 5
Publications were limited after 1542 so instead he became personal doctor to Emperor Charles V, Vesalius died relatively early in a shipwreck in 1564, his work had been very general on anatomy which limited its impact, doctors said drawings had no place in science, nobody was healthier as a result of his work
5 facts about William Harvey’s education and employment
Studied at Cambridge and then Padua university from the anatomist Fabricus. He worked as a doctor in London, became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1607, placed in charge of St Bartholomew’s hospital in 1609, was doctor to King James I in 1618
What did people believe about circulation of the blood before Harvey?
People believed Galens ideas that new blood was constantly being created in the liver to replace blood that was burnt up in the body. Galen said the body burnt up blood like wood is burnt by fire. This idea had been challenged before Harvey but nobody proved exactly how blood moved around the body
What did William Harvey prove? 4 things
Blood flows around the body, is carried away from the heart by arteries and returns in the veins. The heart acts as a pump to to circulate the blood and there is a fixed amount of blood that does not burn up so no organs make blood. Veins only carry blood, not a mixture of air and blood like Galen proposed. The two ventricles of the heart are divided by the septum, Galen said blood flowed from one ventricle to the other through invisible pores but Harvey proved there were no pores
What did Harvey do to disprove Galens ideas on circulation?
Carried out many live experiments including: dissection of live cold blooded animals whose hearts beat slowly like newts which meant he could see the movements of each heart muscle, dissecting human bodies to build up knowledge of the heart, put thin rods down veins to show that blood flowed in a one way system in the body, measured blood flow and the amount of blood carried by each heart beat and was able to show there was a fixed amount of blood in the body, gave clear detailed proof and explanations when he disagreed with Harvey or contemporary doctors
When and why did Harvey write ‘An Anatomical Account Of The Heart’?
1628 so scientists could see if his experiments worked
Why was understanding how blood traveled important?
Future doctors could develop blood transfusions
Why did technology mean Harvey’s ideas had a limited impact?
Microscopes had not yet been invented so he could not see tiny blood vessels called capillaries
