medicine Flashcards
when was the middle ages
C1250-C1500
what did astrology have to do with disease
the alignment of the planet and stars was thought to cause some disease, it was used to help diagnose people
what did people believe about God and the cause of disease in the middle ages
The God made them ill, he was displeases or testing their faith
how did the Church control ideas in the middle ages
most of what people learnt was taught through the church , unlike other people monks and priests could read and right, this meant that monasteries had influence over what books were written and read
what was the Four Humours
Ancient Greeks believed that everyone had a mix of 4 humours in their body. They thought that when this was unbalanced people were ill, and to make people better they had to put the balance right
what would they do to balance the four humours
bleeding and purging
what was the theory of opposites
Galen developed the four humours further, he said that treatment of people should be treated by being given the opposite of their symptoms.
who was Galen
his ideas were the basis of medical training in the middle ages. He developed Hippocrates’ ideas and mainly used bloodletting or purging to prevent and treat illness. He drew detailed diagrams of the human anatomy using knowledge he gained from operating on wounded gladiators
who was Hippocrates
His ideas and books were very influential well into medieval times and beyond. He dismissed the idea that God caused disease. Most of his treatments were based on diet exercise and rest, but he also used bleeding and purging. His method of clinical observation is what’s used today
what was the Hippocrates oath
where doctors swore to respect life and prevent harm.
what was miasma
the idea that the cause of disease was transmitted by bad air 19th century and middle ages
when was blooding letting used
middle ages - 1200-1500
what was bloodletting
Most common treatment for an unbalance of humours. It was done by cutting a vein, using leaches or by cupping. Different parts of the body were used for different illnesses
who was bloodletting performed by
occasionally physicians but mainly barber surgeons or non medical people
what was purging
it was used to rebalance the humors, to involves making a patient vomit
when was purging used
middle ages - 1200-1500
what were religious and supernatural methods of preventing illness
living a Christian life, chanting incantations , carrying lucky charms, self punishment such as flagellation
what where rational methos of preventing illness in the middle ages
keeping streets clean, bathing and washing, exercising, not overeating, bleeding and purging, purifying the air
what were traditional remedies in the middle ages
ones made with herbs, made at home or mixed and sold by an apothecary
what were the 4 types of people who would care for people in the middle ages
barber surgeons, care in the home, physicians, apothecaries
what were barber surgeons
they had no training, carried out bloodletting, pulling teeth and lacing boils, did basic surgery with a very low success rate, cost less than a physician
what ware care in the home like in the middle ages
most ill people at this time where treated at home by a female family member, the village ‘wise women’ would help people for free
what did apothecaries do in the middle ages
received training but had no medial qualifications, mixed medicines and ointments, cost money but less than physician
what were physicians in the middle ages
medically trained at universities and passes exams, diagnoses illnesses and gave treatments or sent patients to the apothecary or barber surgeon, expensive, very few of them
what did physicians do
overserved a patients symptoms and checked their pulse, skin colour and urine, consulted urine charts in their vademecum (hand book) , consulted zodiac charts to help diagnose the illness and work out the best way to treat the patient, treat the patient (rare) or send them to a barber surgeon or apothecary
what were hospitals like in the middle ages
places where travelers and pilgrims could stay on their journey, people with infectious diseases or incurable diseases were not admitted, patients and their surroundings were kept very clean, more places of recuperation rather then a place where people were treated, patients given fresh food and rest, some built for specific infectious diseases, run by church
when was the black death
1348-9
how much of the population did the black death kill
1 third
what was the black death
bubonic plague, carried by fleas living on rats, it is passed to humans when an infected flea bites them
how did people think the black death was caused
religion - punishment from god, astrology - positions of plants was unusual, miasma- smell caused by decaying rubbish, volcanoes - poisonous gases caused by volcanoes, 4 humours - imbalance in the 4 humours, outsiders - strangers of witches
how did people try to avoid catching the black death
praying and fasting, clearing up rubbish in the streets, smelling bad smells in the belief this would overcome the plague, lighting fires to keep air moving, carrying herbs and spices to avoid breathing in bad air, not letting unknown people enter the town or village
what were symptoms of the black death
swelling of the lymph gland into large lumps filled with pus, fever and chills, headache, vomiting diarrhea and abdominal pain
what were treatments for the black death
praying and holding lucky charms, draining pus, eating cool things and taking cold baths
what was the change in ideas of cause of disease in the Renaissance
fewer people believed in supernatural or religious causes of disease. There was a major decline in the influence of the church.
what was the continuity in ideas on caused of disease in the Renaissance
people still believed in Miasma as the cause of disease. The theory of the 4 humors was still accepted, however by 1700 physicians refused to believe it
what was Thomas Sydenham’s book called when was it published
observations medicae - 1676 It outlined his theories and observations
Thomas Sydenham’s beliefs
didn’t rely on medical books when making diagnosis, overserved symptoms in detail. He believed that disease had nothing to do with the nature of the person that had it. He bases treatment of the disease as a whole and didn’t treat individual symptoms.
why was there a change in influence of the church during Renaissance
new religious ideas challenged the authority of the Catholic church
why did work of physicians in the Renaissance change
fewer people believed that astrology caused disease, physicians stopped using astrology charts for diagnosis. Due to improved knowledge of digestion, physicians stopped using urine charts for diagnosis. They carried out more direct observations and examinations on patients.
who and when invented the printing press
Gutenberg - 1440
how many printing presses where in Europe by 1500
hundreds
what did the printing mean that
that many exact copies of texts could be produced in a short amount of time
what did the printing press help to do
reduce the church’s control on ideas, as it could no longer prevent the publication of ideas it did not approve of. Ideas could therefore be spread for affectively across a wider area.
what did the royal society aim to do and how
aimed to further scientific understanding by carrying out and recording the results of experiments, sharing knowledge and encouraging new theories and ideas.
what did the royal society do to scientists
sponsored them to enable them to carry out research
what was the royal societies journal called and when did it start
Philosophical Transactions - 1665
what did the royal societies journal do
scientists could share their work and ideas, scientists could study, challenge and build on research. Theories could be confirmed and dismissed, news of findings could be spread quickly
how did hospitals change in Renaissance
they were treating more sick people and were being used less by travelers and pilgrims. Most had their own apothecary to mix medicines and physicians frequently visited.
what caused most hospitals to close in 1536
dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII
what happened to hospitals after the dissolution of monasteries
some charity funded hospitals were set up, but it wasn’t till the 1700s that the number of hospitals returned to pre dissolution levels
what were pest houses and when did more start to appear
where people suffering from a particular contagious disease could go for care. - The Renaissance
who were hospitals ran by when they re appeared in the Renaissance
physicians focusing on treating the sick, rather than by religion
what were continued treatments and preventions in the Renaissance in the community
herbal remedies, healthy living, bleeding or purging, cleanliness, superstitions and prayer
what were changes in prevention and treatments in the Renaissance
more emphasis on removing miasma through draining swamps, removing sewage and rubbish. People changed clothes to keep clean. New herbal remedies appeared, people rubbed objects on them selves to transfer the disease to that object - theory of transference.
why was there a lack of change in the Renaissance despite improved knowledge
ideas were slow to be accepted, no direct use in improving treatment or preventing disease, did not improve the understanding of the cause of disease
apothecaries and surgeons continuity in Renaissance
still not given University training and considered inferior to physicians and were cheaper
apothecaries and surgeons change in Renaissance
better trained, had different levels of skill, a license was needed to work as an apothecary or surgeon and these were only issued after completing training
physicians continuity in Renaissance
still trained at universities for many years, training based on learning from textbooks and not practical experience
physicians change in Renaissance
better access to a wider variety of medial books and detailed drawings, new ideas about anatomy and causes of disease inspired some physicians to become more practical and experimental, dissection was legalised but took time to become common place
what did Vesalius do
carried out a large number of dissections on human bodies and made new discoveries about how the human body worked.
what was the importance of Vesalius
he improved understanding of the human body, he made the study of anatomy central to the study of medicine, he proved some of Galen’s work incorrect which brought into question his other theories, he encouraged other people to carry out dissections, his work was published throughout England and Europe
when was the great plague
1665
why is the study of the black death and great plague good for showing change in medicine
they were both the same so can look at change in treatment/causes
what were the differences in beliefs about the causes of the great plague compared to black death
miasma was the most believed cause, fewer people believed it was caused by an imbalance of the 4 humours, people knew that disease could passed from person to person
what happened to people who had the great plague
they were quarantined
treatments of the great plague
theory of transference meant that people tried to transfer it to other objects such as birds, people tried to sweat the disease out by wrapping in blankets and going by a fire
what was a big difference between treatment of black death and great plague
government action
what government action was put in place in the great plague
theatres were closes, large gatherings banned, dogs and cats killed, streets regularly cleaned, barrels of tar were burnt in streets, dead were collected every day and buried deep, if a member of a household caught the plague they would be boarded into their home or taken to the pest house, days of fasting and public prayer ordered
who was Harvey influenced by
Vesalius
what did Harvey teach
importance of observing and recording symptoms rather than relying on textbooks for diagnosis and treatment
what did Harvey discover
the process of blood circulation
how did Harvey discover the circulation of blood
he researched Vesalius’ theory theory that blood flowed towards the heart, which contradicted Galen’s theory. He proved Vesalius right by using dissected bodies and pumps to show blood only flowed one way. He then proved that blood could not be produced by the liver and absorbed into the body as Galen had thought. He was influenced by new technology such as water pumps, which made him think the human body worked in the same way. He found that arteries and veins were part of one system and that blood was pumped around the body by the heart.
what was the importance of Harvey
Proved some of Galen’s theories wrong, bringing into question his other ones, improved knowledge about how the body worked and passed this knowledge on, by 1700 his work was being taught in medical schools, as a royal physician his work gained creditability and inspired others to find out more, left many unanswered questions which encouraged explanations
what was spontaneous generation and when did people believe this
idea that germs were produced by decaying matter - 18th century
what was the continuity in causes of disease in the 18th century
that miasma was the cause, less people believed this than in the Renaissance
what were microscopes like in 1700s
cloudy images of bacteria could be seen
what were microscopes like by 1850
tiny images could be seen clearly.
what was essential for scientific breakthroughs in the 19th century
microscopes
