Renaissance: ideas about causes of disease and illness

Question 1

when did the Renaissance take place

Answer 1

c1500 - c1700

Question 2

3 ideas that changed a little

Answer 2

• supernatural - astrology much less popular from 1500 - but in epidemic people still wore charms to ward of diseases
• decline in Church influence –> shift to more scientific approach
• reliance on medical books - physicians carried out more observations of their patients –> but still relied on tect for symptoms

Question 3

what idea was continued on the causes of disease

Answer 3

• Miasma - idea that disease was spread by bad smells + evil fumes still constant
• even more widespread during epidemics

Question 4

what ideas changed a lot

Answer 4

• The Theory of the Four Humours - very few physicians believed this by the end of the 17th century - but still used when diagnosing patients, because they understood it
• the human body - better understanding of anatomy
• diagnosing using urine - Physicians now understood that urine was not directly related to a person’s health –> Jan Baptiste can Helmont - discovered better understanding of the digestive system

Question 5

why was the impacts of medical discoveries so small

Answer 5

• still huge gaps in knowledge
• general public still believed in the Theory of the 4 Humours
• lack of quality medical equipment

Question 6

who was Thomas Sydenham

Answer 6

worked as doctor in London during 1660s - 70s

Question 7

what books did Sydenham publish and when

Answer 7

Observations Medicae - 1676

Question 8

what did Sydenham do differently from other doctors

Answer 8

• did not rely on medical books when making diagnosis
• instead observed patients and recorded symptoms in detail
• based treatment on the disease as a whole - instead of treating individual symptoms

Question 9

what was Sydenham’s most controversial yet instrumental idea

Answer 9

• diseases could be categorised into different groups
• theorised that the nature of patient had little to do with the disease

Question 10

why was Sydenham’s significant

Answer 10

• laid foundations for a more scientific approach to medicine from 18th onwards
• moved medicine in Britain away from the classical ideas of Galen and Hippocrates, into a new era

Question 11

when was the printing press invented and by who

Answer 11

1440 - Johannes Gutenburg

Question 12

by the start of 1500 (Renaissane) how many printing presses were there across europe

Answer 12

hundreds

Question 13

what was the importance of the printing press

Answer 13

• enabled info to be spread quicker + more accurately
• fewer inconsistencies - no longer copied by hand
• reduced Church’s control of ideas no longer prevented the publication of ideas it did not approve of -(criticising Galen’s work)
• scientist’s ideas + discovers could quickly share + publish work across Europe

Question 14

what was the aim of the Royal Society

Answer 14

• to further scientific understanding by carrying out and recording the results of experiments
• sharing scientific knowledge and encouraging new ideas and theories
• sponsored scientist to enable then to carry out research

Question 15

what was the scientific journal that the Royal Society publish and when

Answer 15

1665 - Philosophical Transactions

Question 16

what was the importance of the Royal Society

Answer 16

• scientist could share their work –> could study, challenge, build on each other’s research
• therefore, theories could be confirmed or dismissed
• news of findings could spread quickly through medical community

Question 17

what was the Royal Society granted

Answer 17

King Charles II granted a Royal Charter
- very interested in science –> his approval helped society gain credibility