Renaissance Medicine Flashcards
What was the renaissance a time of
Continuity
Change
What was the continuity in the renaissance that was in medieval
The theory of miasma continued to be believed by many to be the cause of disease. It was a particularly popular theory during epidemics
The theory of 4 humours continued to be an accepted explanation for disease although by 1700 very few physicians still believed in it
What was the changing influence of the church
During this time new religious ideas challenged the authority of the Catholic Church, making it more difficult for the Catholic Church to promote its ideas about science. People were still very religious but they began to look for new explanations for the causes of disease rather than believing disease was a punishment from god
What was the change in the work of physicians and scientists
Many doctors in renaissance trained at college of physicians which were set up in 1518. Here they read books by galen but also studied recent medical developments. Dissections showing how the body actually worked also became a key part of medical training
The college of physicians encouraged the licensing of doctors to stop the influence of quacks who sold fake medicines. Some of the college physicians like William Harvey made important discoveries about disease and human body
Explorations abroad brought new ingredients for drugs back to Britain including guaiacum believed to cure syphilis
What’s as the change in the work of physicians and scientists (2)
In the 1530s Henry VIII closed down most of Britain as monasteries. Since most hospitals had been set up and run by the monasteries this also led to the closure of a large number of hospitals. This sudden loss of so many hospitals was bad for people health. However the monastic hospitals were gradually replaced by free hospitals paid for by charitable donations. Unlike the monastic hospitals which had been run by monks these new hospitals were run by trained physicians who focuses more on getting better from illness
How did Thomas Sydenham change how we think about medicine
Thomas Sydenham was a renaissance physician who worked in London. He was the son of a country squire and fought in the English civil war before becoming a doctor.
He was called the “English Hippocrates” because of the big impact of his medical achievements
Sydenham didn’t believe in the value of theoretical knowledge. Instead he thought that it was more important to gain practical experience in treating patients. As a doctor he made detailed observations of his patients and kept accurate record of their symptoms
How did Thomas Sydenham change how we think about medicine
Sydenham is known for showing that scarlet fever was different to measles and for introducing laudanum to relieve pain: he was also one of the first doctors to use iron to treat anaemia and quinine for malaria
Sydenham wrote a book called “medical observations” which was used as a textbook by doctors for 200 years. His descriptions of medical conditions like gout helped other doctors to diagnose their patients more easily
How did the printing press allow for new ideas to be spread
The first British printing press was set up in the 1470s. The invention of printing accelerated the rate of progress in medicine
Making a single copy of a book by hand could take many months or even years. Books were therefore rare and precious
New ideas wouldve to be widely accepted before anyone would go to the bother of copying them by hand
The invention of printing allowed books to be copied more easily
Students in universities could have their own textbooks for the first time letting them study in detail
It helped reduce the church’s control of ideas as it could no longer prevent the publication of ideas it didn’t approve of
How did the printing press allow new ideas to be spread (2)
New ideas could be spread and debated more easily. The books and therefore the ideas of scientists and doctors contained within the books could be shared more effectively and much faster across a wider area
The printing press also meant people could question existing ideas. At least 600 different editions of galens books were printed between 1473 and 1599. This meant that lots of people knew his theories. However with so many different versions around, it was unclear what galen had originally written-this made his writings seem less reliable
How did the royal society change perceptions of medicine
The royal society aimed to further scientific understanding by carrying out and recording the results of experiments sharing scientific knowledge and encouraging new theories and ideas. Most significantly it sponsored scientists to enable them to carry out research
From 1665 the royal society published a journal called philosophical transactions in which scientists could share there work and ideas. This meant that doctors and scientists could study, challenge and build on eachother research. In this way theories could be confirmed or dismissed and news of the findings could spread through the medical community quickly
How did the royal society change perceptions of medicine (2)
It was supported by King Charles II which have it high status. It’s still the highest authority on scientific matters im Britain today
It’s motto was “Nullius in verba” which means “take no one’s words for it”. This shows the society wanted to encourage people to be sceptical and to question scientific ideas
Who was Andreas Vesalius
Vesalius was born in 1514 and was a medical professor in Padua Italy. He believed that successful surgery would only be possible if doctors had a proper understanding of the anatomy
Vesalius was able to perform dissections on criminals who had been executed. This let him study the human anatomy more closely
He made the study of anatomy fashionable. It became central to the study of medicine
How did Vesalius help change medicine (2)
He wrote books based on his observations using accurate diagrams to illustrate his work. the most important we’re “six anatomical pictures” and “the fabric of the human body”’his works were widely published in England and throughout Europe and included detailed illustrations of the human body which were copied into other medical textbooks.
Vesalius work helped point out some of galens mistakes. For example in the second edition of “the fabric” Vesalius showed there weren’t any holes in the septum of the heart
His findings encouraged others to question galen. Doctors also realised there was more to discover about the body because of Vesalius questioning attitude
Vesalius showers thay dissecting bodies was important to find out exactly how the human body was structured. Dissection was used more and more in medical training for this reason
Who was William Harvey
Both in 1578 and worked in London at the royal college of physicians before becoming royal physician to James I and Charles I
Harvey studied both animals and humans for his work. He realised that he could observe living animals hearts in action and that his findings would also apply to humans
Before Harvey people thought that there were 2 kinds of blood and that they flowed through 2 completely separate systems of blood vessels. It was thought
Purple “nutrition carrying” blood was produced in the liver and then flowed through veins to the rest of the body where it’s consumed
Bright red “life giving” blood produced in the lungs and flowed through arteries to the body where it was also consumed
How did Harvey discover circulation of the blood
This may show the continuing influence of galen who had suggested this kind of system about 1400 years earlier
Harvey researched Vesalius theory that blood flowed towards the heart which contradicted galens theory. He proved Vesalius was right using dissected bodies and pumps that showed blood only flowed one way
He the proved blood couldn’t be produced in the liver and absorbed into the body as Galen had thought
He then discovered that arteries and veins were part of one system and that blood must circulate around the body by the heart
