medicine Early modern period Flashcards
1
Q
Pare’s ointment
A
- Pare was a surgeon to French kings and worked as a barber surgeon in the French army
- When treating gunshot wounds, the traditional method was to use hot oil to
cauterise wounds. Paré used this method until, one day, he ran out of oil. He then treated his patients using : rose oil, egg yolk, and turpentine - When he checked on his patients he found that the patients that used the ointment were sleeping and their wounds were healing, while the patients who had been cauterised were in pain
2
Q
- Pare’s work with ligatures
- How was he significant in the short and long term
A
- If patients had a limb amputated, blood vessels were often cauterised. This caused patients to die from the pain or from infections
- Pare used ligatures to tie blood vessels. This was effective in stopping blood loss but didn’t reduce the death rate as germ theory wasn’t discovered, so ligatures were often left unclean meaning high rates of infections
- In the short term Pare showed that new methods could be more successful than olden ideas. In the long term ligatures were more useful as germ theory was discovered and the use of carbolic acids
3
Q
Harvey’s work on circulation
A
- He became the physician of James I
- Galen had said blood was made in the liver and was burned up by the body like fuel, this was widely believed in the early modern era
- Harvey dissected frogs, which have slower pulse rates, which allowed him to see blood was pumped around the body by the heart. He also discovered the role of valves
- He published a book in 1628 which included details about experiments and diagrams
4
Q
Why was Harvey significant
A
- His work was important as it was another example of medieval beliefs being wrong. This encouraged doctors to continue to question ancient ideas
- The idea of circulation also led to doctors attempting blood transfusions, learning about blood groups and donating organs
5
Q
The great plague of 1665
A
- It killed 100,00 people in London
- The cause of the spread was poor sanitation as the population of black rates, that carried the disease, grew in population due to sewage and waste being discarded in the streets
- As the plague worsened wealthy people including Charles II left London
6
Q
Government action against the Great plague
A
- There was more organised response to the plague than there was to the black death
- The government introduced a quarantine for all ships coming into London
- If a household had someone infected with the plague, the people were locked inside and a red cross was painted on their door
- The mayor of London thought the spread was due to stray cats and dogs so he ordered 250,000 to be killed. This worsened the spread as cats were killing the rats
Belief in miasma meant people lit fires which created smoke. This was thought that it masked the bad air causing the plague
7
Q
Cures people used for the plague
A
- Bloodletting and purging was widely used, showing that the 4 humours were still believed to cause disease
- Plague doctors wore outfits to protect them from coming in contact with victim. They wore leather cloaks and masks containing herbs to avoid them smelling the streets. They also wore hats and gloves so none of their skin was exposed to the air
- Although the Great Fire of London was not the cause of the end of the outbreak, it did lead to rebuilding of the capital. This meant that there was no open sewers which reduced further outbreaks
8
Q
Treating the sick (Hospitals)
A
- There was an increasing number of hopsitals in the 17th and 18th centuries. The monasteries had been closed down by Henry VIII in the 1530s, so towns needed to open hospitals
- Treatment in hospitals were usually based on the 4 humours, so bloodletting and purging were common. Hospitals were funded by wealthy donors so they could provide care for people who couldn’t afford a physician
8
Q
Treating the sick (Physicians) - Early modern
A
- They were doctors who had trained at university. They were considered to offer the best medical care. Most of the diagnoses and treatments were based on the works of Hippocrates and Galen, and the 4 humours
- Physicians were expensive and tended to treat richer people or royalty
9
Q
Treating the sick (Apothecaries) - Early modern
A
- An apothecary was similar to a modern day chemist. They would sell remedies and medicines to surgeons and members of the public. The medicines they sold were often based on herbal remedies, passed down through generations
10
Q
Treating the sick (Quack doctors) - Early modern
A
As most people could not afford a physician, they had to look elsewhere for medical advice and treatments. Quack doctors were unqualified and often claimed to be selling miracle cures. They sold potions that supposedly contained all kinds of mysterious ingredients, such as crushed unicorn horn. These remedies did nothing to help people recover, and in some cases could make symptoms worse
11
Q
The work of John Hunter - Early modern - 1728
A
- Hunter was keen to develop scientific methods in researching medicine. He carried out an experiment to prove that syphilis and gonorrhoea were caused by the same disease. To do this he infected a patient with pus from a gonorrhoea patient
- Hunter also had an interest in anatomy. He encouraged doctors to learn and study the anatomy of humans to increase their understanding of how the body works
- Hunter disproved the idea that a gunshot injury poisoned the area around the wound, which meant unnecessary treatment like cutting out the area were stopped
12
Q
Why was Hunter significant - Early modern
A
- He was the surgeon to George III
- He trained other doctors, including Edward Jenner
- He was keen to encourage other surgeons to follow scientific methods when developing their practice
- He also wrote books which helped other doctors learn from his scientific methods
