Renaissance Flashcards
How was God seen as a continued cause of disease during the Renaissance period
Many people thought by touching the King they would be cured of scrofula because of the divine right
How was astrology seen as a continued cause of disease during the Renaissance period
There had been an unusual alignment between Saturn and Jupiter in October 1664. Worse, a comet had been spotted and this unlucky combination was blamed for the Great Plague
How were the four humours seen as a continued cause of disease during the Renaissance period
The general public still believed in Galen’s teachings and most physicians stuck to the old methods and recommended purging up to the 1700s
How was miasma a continued belief for the cause of disease in the Renaissance period
Still widely believed in as could be the product of rotten vegetables, decaying bodies or any swampy/dirty place. During Great Plague in 1665 barrels of tar were burnt in the street to protect from miasma
How was the belief of God causing disease changed in the Renaissance period
-Most people recognised God didn’t send disease
-However in time of epedemic people still turned to fasting in prayer and used as a last resort during the Great Plague
How was the belief of astrology causing disease changed in the Renaissance period
-Less popular from 1500
-During epidemics people still wore charms to ward off the disease
How was the belief of the 4 humours causing disease changed in the Renaissance period
-Some people beginning to challenge Galen’s teachings
How did King Charles II view the causes of disease
-He helped science by setting up the Royal Society
-However he believed his touch cured scrofula
(Example) What did King Charles II fall i’ll with
Unusual disturbances in his brain, followed by a loss of speech and convulsions
(Example) What did physicians give King Charles on day 1 of his illness (2nd Feb)
-Opened his right arm and drew out 16 ounces of blood
-Eight more ounces and administered an emetic to free his stomach of impurities
-To accelerate purgatives he was given an enema
-Finally blistering agents applied on his head after his hair had been shaven
(Example) What did physicians give King Charles on day 2 of his illness (3rd Feb)
-Took the Sacred Tincture every six hours
-Considered it necessary to open both jugular veins and draw 10 ounces of blood
(Example) What did physicians give King Charles on day 3 of his illness (4th Feb)
-Mild laxative
-When condition became more serious the physicians considered it advisable to administer spirit of human skull - 40 drops
(Example) What did physicians give King Charles on day 4 of his illness (5th Feb)
-Prescribed Peruvian bark after they notified the illness becoming worse
(Example) What did physicians give King Charles on day 5 of his illness (6th Feb)
-Peruvian Bark 1.5 drachms
-Rhine wine 3 ounces
-At 8pm ordered to take 20 drops of Spirit of Sal Ammoniac and every other hour Bezoar stone
Why did the Church lose power and why did it allow new medical ideas to develop
-Protestant church challenged teachings of the Catholics. Religion was still important but the church no longer had as much control over medical teaching.
-This meant new ideas could be explored and more questions could be attempted to be answered using scientific method inspired by the Greeks love of enquiry
-For example Copernicus proved that the Earth revolves around the sun (not the sun circling the earth)
Why did humanism lead to more medical ideas being developed
It characterised a love of learning and a belief that humans could make up their own minds when discovering the truth about the world around them
How did the printing press lead to medical process
-More information could be created and spread by scientists to all over Europe
-For example Vesalius’ book The Fabric of the Human Body 1543
-Meant the church was no longer able to prevent ideas they disapproved of being spread (e.g. Galen could be criticised)
Background to printing press
-More people could read and write in the Renaissance period
-In 1440 Johannesburg Gutenberg created the worlds first printing press.
-By 1500 there were hundreds of printing presses in Europe, so text could be spread quicker as no longer had to be copied by hand
How did the royal society lead to medical progress (Renaissance)
-Encouraged argument over new theories and ideas so ancient beliefs could be overruled
-Proper scientists could publish ideas and they had proper equipment to experiment properly
Royal society background
-Formed as scientists wanted to talk about discoveries
-Founded in 1660
-In 1662 received royal charter from Charles II giving the society credibility
Treatments that are similar based on 4 humours (Renaissance)
-Physicians still believed became ill when the humours were out of balance so blood letting and purging were still used to balance the humours
Treatments that are different based on 4 humours (Renaissance)
None
Treatments that are similar herbal remedies (Renaissance)
-Still many used and passed down through generations of mothers and daughters
Treatments that are different herbal remedies (Renaissance)
-New plants discovered in the New World
-such as Quinine which came from cinchona bark used to successfully treat malaria
-Sydenham popularised it’s use
-Printing press meant they could be spread to more people
Treatments that are similar based on miasma (Renaissance)
-Still believed in this theory so used treatments like sweet smelling herbs and tied to keep houses clean
Treatments that are different based on miasma (Renaissance)
-Smoking tobacco from America was believed to prevent illness from bad air
Treatments that are similar based on superstition and God (Renaissance)
-Still believed the King could cure scrofula
-Continued to pray and use cures based on magic
Treatments that are different based on superstition and God (Renaissance)
-Not as popular as they were in the Middle Ages
Preventions that are different based on superstition(Renaissance)
People started to believe other things could help avoid disease
-Avoiding rich and fatty foods
-Condition at birth was also important (being born small or weak may be used to explain death from an illness in adulthood)
Preventions that are different based on cleanliness (Renaissance)
-Bathing become less fashionable since the arrival of Syphilis
-Instead they change clothes more regularly
-Henry VIII closed bathhouses after syphilis spread quickly among people who used them
-Linen used to keep people clean
Background of preventions based on Regimen sanitatis (Renaissance)
-Loose set of instructions provided by physicians to help a patient maintain good health
-First appeared in work of Hippocrates
-E.g. take moderate exercise
Preventions that are different based on regimen sanitatis(Renaissance)
-People began to think disease was related to more factors (for example the weather)
-People started to change their surroundings
-Thermometers used to measure weather conditions to see if there was a link between weather and outbreaks of disease