Renaissance Medicine

Question 1

what does renaissance mean?

Answer 1

it means rebirth

Question 2

what was the renaissance period?

Answer 2

• greater interest in anatomy
• public dissections
• return of classical texts e.g four humours and opposites theory

Question 3

who was Andreas Vesalius?

Answer 3

• he studied anatomy, became a professor of surgery and anatomy at Padua
• he did his own dissections and recorded his observations using diagrams to illustrate his work
• proved Galen wrong
• encouraged personal investigation

Question 4

what book did Vesalius write?

Answer 4

• 1543 - The Fabric of the Human Body
• employed artists to make accurate anatomy images
• this gave doctors more knowledge on it

Question 5

how did Vesalius prove Galen wrong?

Answer 5

Galen claimed the lower jaw had 2 bones not one

Question 6

who was William Harvey?

Answer 6

• discovered the circulation of blood through the body

Question 7

what book did William Harvey publish?

Answer 7

• An Anatomical Account of the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals in 1628
• proved the heart acted like a pump and was responsible for recirculating blood around the body

Question 8

how did William Harvey prove the vein theory?

Answer 8

• proved veins contained valves
• valves allowed blood to flow through the veins in one direction to the heart
• Harvey tried to pump liquids through the veins in the other direction but it didn’t work

Question 9

what experiments did William Harvey carry out?

Answer 9

• dissection of human corpses and carefully observing the heart
• dissection of cold-blooded animals because their heart beat is lower, allowing for easier observation of blood
• measuring blood flow to show the heart pumps blood around the body

Question 10

why was Thomas Sydenham important?

Answer 10

• he changed the ideas about how illness should be diagnosed
• he encouraged physicians to move towards the new scientific ideas

Question 11

what did Sydenham believe was important for diagnosis?

Answer 11

• observe symptoms
• don’t solely rely on medical books

Question 12

what did Sydenham encourage his students to do?

Answer 12

• observe a patient carefully
• record a description of their symptoms
• prescribe a remedy that would treat the disease

Question 13

what book did Sydenham publish?

Answer 13

• “Medical Observations” in 1676
• his work led to a more scientific approach to medicine after the 18th centuty

Question 14

what was Sydenham known as?

Answer 14

• “English Hippocrates” because he believed in the importance of observation
• he believed each disease was different
• he identified that scarlet fever and measles were different

Question 15

what were ideas for the causes of the 1665 Great Plague?

Answer 15

• God sent the plague as a sin
• unusual alignment of the planets caused miasma
• rotten waste had caused miasma
• the diseases was spread from person to person

Question 16

what approaches to treatment were used for the 1665 Great Plague?

Answer 16

• prayers for the sick
• wear magical or religious charms
• herbal remedies
• bloodletting and purging

Question 17

how was the 1665 Plague spread prevented?

Answer 17

• place strong-smelling herbs and flowers over doorways and windows to prevent miasma
• hold posies to their nose
• chew tobacco

Question 18

what action did the government take for the 1665 Plague?

Answer 18

• Charles II ordered public prayer and fasting
• isolation for 40 days
• tar and bonfires to clean the air
• animals were banned
• large crowds were banned

Question 19

when was the printing press invented?

Answer 19

• in the 1460s by Johannes Gutenberg

Question 20

what was the impact of the printing press?

Answer 20

• easier to create books and easier access to people so ideas could be spread more easily
• the Church no longer had control over what was written in books
• ideas challenging Galen could be published

Question 21

when was the Royal Society set up?

Answer 21

• in 1660 in London

Question 22

what was the impact of the Royal Society?

Answer 22

• carried out experiments
• debate new ideas
• share new discoveries

Question 23

how was the training of physicians improved?

Answer 23

• it took a more scientific approach, encouraged observation and experimentation
• doctors could dissect bodies and use new technology

Question 24

what were the treatments for illness?

Answer 24

• bloodletting and purging
• herbal remedies
• superstition and religious beliefs

Question 25

what was care for the sick like?

Answer 25

• rich people payed for private doctors
• people mainly went to apothecaries
• women were the main source of care
• hospitals were now funded by charities and run by physicians
• hospitals were starting to concentrate on treatment but most focused on providing care in the form of food and warmth

Question 25

what was care for the sick like?

Answer 25

• rich people payed for private doctors
• people mainly went to apothecaries
• women were the main source of care
• hospitals were now funded by charities and run by physicians
• hospitals were starting to concentrate on treatment but most focused on providing care in the form of food and warmth

Question 26

what was the role of the microscope?

Answer 26

• after William Harvey, Marcello Malpighi used the microscope to discover blood vessels

Question 27

why was there still a lack of change?

Answer 27

• the ideas were slow to be accepted
• they had no direct use in improving treatment or preventing disease
• the discoveries did not improve the understanding about the cause of disease

Question 28

how was the training of apothecaries and surgeons improved?

Answer 28

• they were in guild systems
• a licence was needed and these were only issued after completing training