Medicine: Early Modern Period

Question 1

what is the name of Andreas Versalius’ book?

Answer 1

the fabric of the human body

Question 2

what year was Versalius’ book published?

Answer 2

1543

Question 3

what did Versalius teach his students it was important to do, as doctors?

Answer 3

dissect humans

Question 4

why was Versalius important to the development of medicine?

Answer 4

he promoted the idea of questioning everything and to never accept anyone’s ideas as fact, and to test ideas

Question 5

name 2 of Versalius’ discoveries

Answer 5

• that the thigh bone is connected to the hip bone

- that Galen’s view on the two chambers of the heart were incorrect

Question 6

what year did Versalius die?

Answer 6

1564

Question 7

what did Versalius discover about blood?

Answer 7

he discovered that it moves around the body in a circulatory system.

Question 8

what is Versalius known as?

Answer 8

the founder of modern human anatomy

Question 9

what was different about Versalius’ teaching style, compared to others at the time?

Answer 9

he saw the importance of dissections and performed many in his class

Question 10

name three ways ‘role of the individual’ helped develop medicine in this period

Answer 10

• Versalius and the developments of anatomy
• Paré, ligatures and non-cauterisation
• Jenner and the vaccine

Question 11

name three ways religion and superstition had a role in the development of medicine in this period

Answer 11

• hospitals were still largely run by religious entities or were paid for from Christians because, ie the foundlings hospital
• Henry VIII and the Reformation got rid of the monasteries and almshouses
• Christianity was no longer imposing their beliefs; dissections, Galen’s being completely correct

Question 12

name 3 ways communication played a role in the development of medicine

Answer 12

• printed books spread old and new ideas meaning more people were knowledgeable about medical ideas
• in 1813, the royal college of surgeons decreed that in order to be a London surgeon, you must have a minimum of one years experience in a hospital and must’ve attended one course on both anatomy and surgery; in 1843, these regulations were made applicable nationwide

Question 13

give three reasons science and technology played a role in the development of medicine

Answer 13

• crude early and yet effective new technologies were being created, such as the thermometer and the microscope
• in 1436, the printing press was invented in Germany, this was important because it made books cheaper and more widely available
• jenner and Harvey popularised the scientific method of medicine and discovering new medicines and preventative measures through experimentation

Question 14

name 3 treatments for disease

Answer 14

• Paré’s alternative to cauterisation
• Jenner’s vaccination
• Quakery: opium, alcohol etc..

Question 15

why was the Renaissance significant for he development of medicine? give three reasons

Answer 15

• it literally means ‘rebirth’- it was the re-introduction of ancient ways of thinking, of theorising and thus people were more inclined to question what they had been told, meaning more advancements in medicine
• it was the era after the medieval times, meaning that people were finally making medical progress unlike they had in the middle ages
• it showed the beginning of science and medicine as we know it; a time of theorising, meticulous experiments and major breakthroughs (mention Jenner, Vesalius, Paré)