Medical Renaissance Flashcards
What ideas on the explanations for the causes of disease and illness stay the same?
[1500-1700]
- Theory of miasma (many) mostly believed in times of epidemic.
- Theory of the Four Humours (many ~ few) continued to be an accepted explanation.
- Supernatural explanations (few) mostly turned to in times of epidemics.
What ideas on the explanations for the causes of disease and illness changed?
[1500-1700]
- Supernatural explanations were broken away from since humanism was on the rise.
- New rational explanations for disease were suggested - seeds in the air spreading disease.
- Church influence reduced (the Reformation) and scientific approaches increased.
What is the overview of the Renaissance period?
There was a change in ideas but a continuity in practice due to:
- gaps in knowledge.
- lack of quality medical instruments.
- the general public.
Individuals
What was Thomas Sydenham’s method of diagnosis?
[1500-1700]
- He did not rely on medical books.
- He would [encourage physician to] closely observe the patient and record their symptoms.
Individuals
What are the details of Thomas Sydenham’s book? (Date, Title, Key idea)
[1500-1700]
Date: 1676
Title: Observationes Medicae
Key idea: Illness was caused by something external, not internal (like an individual’s diet or humoural imbalance).
Individuals
What did Thomas Sydenham discover?
[1500-1700]
Measles and scarlet fever were separate diseases (but he was not able to identify the individual microbes).
Individuals
What impact [influence] did Thomas Sydenham’s discovery make?
[1500-1700]
Big Impact
It laid the foundation for future individuals to take a more scientific approach towards medicine.
Science and Technology
What are the details of the Printing Press? (Date, Creator, Key impact)
[150-1700]
Date: 1440
Creator: Johannes Gutenberg
Key impact: Variety of new ideas could easily be spread rapidly across Europe without the Church’s intervention.
Science and Technology
What was the Royal Society?
[150-1700]
An influential group of scientists in which members shared discoveries and promoted new ideas [encouraged to be] in English.
Science and Technology
When was the Royal Society formed?
[150-1700]
1660
Science and Technology
What are the details of the Royal Society’s journal? (Date, Title, Contents, Impact)
[1500-1700]
Date: 1665
Title: Philosophical Transactions
Contents: Information and experiments from European scientists.
Impact: Contributed to the spread of new ideas.
Science and Technology
What was the cause of the increase in the Royal Society’s recognition?
[1500-1700]
1662
Charles II gave a Royal Charter to show his support towards the group, increasing their credibility.
Key Individuals
What are the details of William Harvey’s book? (Date, Title, Contents)
[1500-1700]
Date: 1628
Title: An Anatomical Account of the Motion of the Heart and Blood.
Contents: Described how blood circulates around the body.
Key Individuals
What was William Harvey’s method of “validation”?
[1500-1700]
- He carried out public dissections.
- He would [encourage students to] observe the body and believe what was he saw.
Key Individuals
What did Thomas Sydenham prove?
[1500-1700]
- The heart acted as a pump, pumping blood around the body in an one way system.
