Medicine: Renaissance Flashcards
What was the Renaissance?
The end of the Middle Age and the rebirth of ancient ideas
How far did ideas about disease change during the Renaissance?
During the renaissance there were still the same ideas about the cause of disease but more people looked to the rational causes and fewer turned to a God to cure disease
The 3 main reasons for the changes in attitudes were:
-power of church
-printing press
-scientific revolution
How far did ideas about disease change during the Renaissance?
-THE POWER OF THE CHURCH
- Power was declining
- Science questioned the bible (Copernicus: we are not the centre of the universe = astrology not cause of disease)
- Henry VIII set up CofE which caused reformation of monarchy
How far did ideas about disease change during the Renaissance?
-PRINTING PRESS
- Invented around 1450s
- Printed quickly and accurately
- Ideas could spread further and faster
- Communication was not controlled by the Church (less limited)
How far did ideas about disease change during the Renaissance?
-SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
- More science in education
- Printing press meant greater access to ideas
- Realised ‘the Ancients’ loved inquiry, inspired Paré’s bezoar stone, criminal and poison experiment
- Used scientific methods to find answers
Charles II
- He ruled over England from 1660 to 1685
- He represents the ideas of Renaissance well:
- On one hand he helped science develop by setting up the Royal Society
- On the other, he believed he had power to cure scrofula by touch
What can we learn about Renaissance medicine from the case study of Charles II?
- Ignorance and attitudes of physicians hindered progress
- When Charles II had a stroke in 1685 his physicians repeatedly bled and purged him, amongst a few supernatural techniques, until he died of blood loss 4 days later
- Charles II died because his physicians were scared of change and didn’t trust the new science-developed ideas and cures because they were too new and different to what they had grown up learning
- Their old theories had already been reliable to them since Ancient Rome and were familiar and comfortable
What was the Royal Society?
- Took place weekly in London, 1645
- Discussed new ideas in physics, astronomy, medicine, etc.
- Was named ‘Royal Society’ in 1662 when King Charles II attended meetings
Who was Thomas Sydenham?
- He believed that each disease was different and that it was intranet to identify the exact disease so the correct remedy could be used to cure it
- His ideas included taking a patient’s pulse pulse to make the correct diagnosis, as well as doctors taking a full history of the patient’s health health and symptoms and recording the illness
- Wrote detailed descriptions of illness so people could study and recognise it, e.g. Scarlet fever
What was William Harvey’s anatomical investigation in Padua?
- In dissections of the heart he tried to pump past the valves in the veins, but couldn’t
- Also measured amount of blood moved by each heartbeat and calculated how much blood was in the body
What was William Harvey’s anatomical investigation in England when he returned from Italy in 1602?
- On his return, became successful physician working for King James I
- Continued his research on heart by conducting vivisection on cold-blooded animals (slow heartbeats) so he could see the movements of each muscle in the heart
How did William Harvey prove Galen wrong?
- Galen had thought new blood was produced in liver to replace blood that was burnt up in body
- Harvey discovered that blood flowed just one-way and proved that heart worked like water pump, pumping blood around body again and again
What was the POSITIVE immediate impact of William Harvey’s discovery on blood circulation?
+ 1628 published his findings in a book entitled ‘An Anatomical Study of the Motion of the Heart and of the Blood in Animals’
What was the LIMITED immediate impact of William Harvey’s discovery on blood circulation?
- Doctors struggled to believe Galen was wrong
- Harvey’s ideas didn’t improve health in Renaissance as he failed to develop new or better treatments
- Doctors didn’t understand blood transfusions and used methods which were fatally unsuccessful
What was the long term impact of William Harvey’s discovery on blood circulation?
+ 50 years after his discoveries first published, University of Paris taught Harvey’s ideas instead of Galen’s
+ 300 years later, when blood groups were discovered, Harvey’s ideas used to create first blood transfusion
How was William Harvey influenced by others?
- Vesalius already said that Galen was wrong about blood flow
- Fabricius, scientist and surgeon who tutored Harvey at Padua, recognised that veins in human body had one-way valves, but Harvey used foundation of their work to solve the function of the valves
What was Andreas Vesalius’ anatomical investigation in Paris?
- Tried to learn about each of the 206 bones, piecing the human skeleton together 1 bone at a time
- 1536 snatched bodies from gallows and cemeteries
- Correctly identifies all nerves, muscles and organs in human body
What was Andreas Vesalius’ anatomical investigation in Padua?
- Learnt from Galen’s incorrect textbooks basing human anatomy on animals at his medical school
- Dissection was permitted there as they liked Vesalius’ ideas and he was able to repeat and compare dissection of humans
- Worked with artists on realistic human skeletons (Jan Van Calcar)
How did Andreas Vesalius prove Galen wrong?
- Galen only dissected animals, mainly apes
- Vesalius corrected over 200 of Galen’s mistakes:
- Location of kidney
- Vesalius wrote about and corrected the structure of the human jaw
- Blood doesn’t move through the heart through holes in the septum
- He encouraged doctors test rather than accept Galen’s ideas
What was the POSITIVE immediate impact of Andreas Vesalius’ discovery on the human skeleton?
+ His book was used at Cambridge to train doctors by 1560s
+ 1565 first dissection by an anatomist at Cambridge
What was the LIMITED immediate impact of Andreas Vesalius’ discovery on the human skeleton?
- Had little impact upon health of people in Renaissance as he didn’t discover any new or better ways of treating illnesses
- Work was only slowly appreciated
- Doctors criticised his book, found it hard to accept Galen was wrong
What was the long term impact of Andreas Vesalius’ discovery on the human skeleton?
+ 1543 published ‘On the Fabric of the Human Body’ which didn’t directly defy Galen
+ Began the proper study of the human anatomy
+ Influenced the work of other medical researchers (inc. Harvey)
+ 1555 his book was republished as he finally had the confidence to openly challenge Galen’s idea
What are the similarities and differences between HEALERS from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance?
Physician
•Still studied Galen’s work on anatomy for most of period
Towards end of period, training began to change:
+ Emphasised importance of scientific approach (Thomas Hobbes)
+ In physiology studied work of Vesalius and Harvey
+ More had the chance to dissect
+ New equipment developed (e.g. thermometers)
+ Some training took place in wards
What are the similarities and differences between HEALERS from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance?
Apothecary
•Still provided remedies as most preferred cheaper and more familiar treatments
No differences
What are the similarities and differences between HEALERS from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance?
Women
•Still a major part in everyday medicine
+ Wealthy ladies provided care for local families (e.g. Margaret Colfe acted as a nurse, midwife, surgeon and physician to aid both the rich and poor, expecting no reward)
What are the similarities and differences between HEALERS from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance?
Hospitals
•City councils and charities helped keep open Church hospitals (e.g. St. Bartholomew’s) which still provided warmth, food and prayer
+ 3 physicians, 3 surgeons, 15 nursing sisters and helpers provided care instead of nuns and monks
+ Began actually treating illnesses e.g. nursing sisters treated patients with herbal remedies
+ Nursing sisters did the heavy, manual work and had no medical training
What are the similarities and differences between TREATMENTS from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance?
Four Humours Theory
•Bleeding and purging were still common treatments as physicians still believed in the four humours
No differences
What are the similarities and differences between TREATMENTS and from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance?
Herbal remedies
- Still used and passed down through generations from mother to daughter
- Girls learnt how to mix up remedies using ingredients like honey
They discovered new ingredients as they explored new continents:
+ Quinine from the cinchona tree bark from South America was effectively used to treat malaria
+ More people could now research and write so more remedies were discovered
+ Printing press meant people could get copies of popular remedies
What are the similarities and differences between TREATMENTS and from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance?
Miasma
•Still believe miasma so still used sweet smelling herbs and tried to keep houses clean
+Smoking tobacco from America was believed to prevent illnesses from bad air
What are the similarities and differences between TREATMENTS and from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance?
God and superstition
- Still believed king could cure scrofula (King’s Evil) as he was appointed by God, so had His healing powers
- Continued to pray and use cures based on magic as people were desperate for help
+These treatments were not as popular as in the Middle Ages
What were the SIMILARITIES between the Black Death 1348 and the Great Plague 1665?
- Spread quickly due to poor conditions
- No understanding of germs
- Widespread impact across Europe
- Movement of planets (cause)
- Miasma (cause)
- Herbs and incense (treatment)
- Fasting (treatment)
- God’s punishment (cause)
- Prayer (treatment)
- Lancing buboes (treatment)
- Actual cause was Fleas carrying bacteria
What were the DIFFERENCES between the Black Death 1348 and the Great Plague 1665?
During just the GP….
- Government had main influence over response
- Drinking plague water (treatment)
- Abracadabra charms
- Enforced quarantine
- Better understanding of contagion
- Vinegar to clean money
- More miasma and based treatments (e.g. fires in streets)
- Pigeons and toads placed on buboes (treatment)
- Nose gays
- Plague doctors
- Examiners identified victims
What were the DIFFERENCES between the Black Death 1348 and the Great Plague 1665?
During just the BD….
- Church had main influence over response
- Let birds fly around house
- Imbalance of humours (cause)
- Flagellation (treatment)
- More supernatural treatments
