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Medicine History GCSE > Renaissance medicine 1500-1700 > Flashcards

Renaissance medicine 1500-1700 Flashcards

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1
Q

What does renaissance mean?

A

Rebirth

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2
Q

Changes in the ideas of the four humours?

A

Sydenham and Paracelsus started to reject the idea however most physicians and people still thought the four humours caused disease

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3
Q

Changes about the idea of god causing disease?

A

With the declining power of the church in the Reformation, less people believe God cause disease and therefore less spread about the idea of the four humours ,however many people still blamed god

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4
Q

What were the new scientific thinking ideas?

A

Thomas Sydenham - direct observation rather than using books
New discoveries into the digestive system, so no longer used urine charts

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5
Q

What was another idea that continued?

A

Miasma - bad air and evil fumes caused disease

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6
Q

Was there improvement in medical thinking ?

A

Despite huge improvement in anatomical knowledge, many physicians and healers still diagnosed using old ideas, because they were respected

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7
Q

Why was there little progress?

A

Despite a better understanding of the body, no one could find the cause of disease

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8
Q

When was the Royal Society founded?

A

1660 at Gresham College

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9
Q

What were the aims of the Royal Society?

A
  • to carry out experiments to further the understanding of science
  • to encourage debate, challenge all ideas and search for new theories and ideas
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10
Q

What was the Royal Society given in 1662?

A

Charles ll gave the society a royal charter, which meant it had support from high places, and was respected from the start

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11
Q

What was the name of the Royal Society’s first book?

A

philosophical transactions 1665

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12
Q

What did Richard Lower do in 1665?

A

Completed the first ever experimental blood transfusion

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13
Q

What did Robert Hooke do?

A

Used microscopes to study and draw small animals and plants in very clear detail

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14
Q

What did Anothonie Van Leeuwenhoek see for the first time in 1683?

A

Animalcules (bacteria) - but he doesn’t understand them

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15
Q

Who was Thomas Sydenham?

A

A scientist who believed doctors must rely on here on their own observations and past experiences, rather than just reading books. He also stated that the four humours was completely wrong and God did not cause disease

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16
Q

Why was Sydenhams discovery of the ‘species’ of disease important?

A

As if diseases were classified it would be easier to give correct treatment

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17
Q

Did this scientific revolution improve medicine?

A

there was little improvement however there were long term effects which eventually helped improve medicine just not during this time.

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18
Q

What were some changes in the treatment of disease?

A

-chemical cures , inspired by Paracelsus , The College of physicians suggested over 122 chemicals to treat 2140 illnesses. Antimony was used to purge illnesses by encouraging sweating and sickness. However, they did not understand it was poisonous
- transference , this was the idea that illness could be transferred from a patient to something else if you rubbed an object on it

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19
Q

What treatments continued during the renaissance?

A

-bleeding and purging
-kings royal touch could cure as he was close to God + prayer
-supernatural beliefs
-herbals remedies (however Remedies, now used to match the colour of the owners, exploration of the new world for new herbs, like quinine, which Sydenham used to cure quinine, which worked. books were also used to spread spread herbal remedies)

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20
Q

What were some new ideas about preventing disease in the renaissance?

A

-avoiding ares with disease and checking the weather with thermometers
-bathing became less popular due to spread of syphilis
-more effort to remove miasma eg removing sewage, draining bogs and cleaning rubbish off the street
-idea of MODERATION spread eg avoiding exhaustion, fatty foods etc
-superstition of birth health rose (weak child would explain later illness

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21
Q

What ideas about prevention continued?

A

-superstitious ideas and prayer remained popular
-wearing sweet smelling herbs to ward off miasma
-practice of staying clean and healthy to avoid illness through regimin sanitatis

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22
Q

How much progress was there in the ideas about treatment and prevention during the renaissance?

A

There was partial progress however there was a large amount of continuity and they were no closer to stopping or treating disease effectively

23
Q

What would a patient in the 16th century expect as treatment from a hospital?

A

-a good diet of healthy foods
-visit from a physician who would observe and suggest treatment
-medication provided from the hospital apothecary

24
Q

How did Henry Vlll impact hospitals?

A

When Henry split from the Catholic Church, he closed monasteries, convents and confiscated their lands which meant few hospitals could stay open as most were attached to the church

25
Q

What were some changes in hospitals during the renaissance?

A

-specialist hospitals grew (focusing on one disease) these were known as pest/pox/plague houses THIS MEANT CONTAGIOUS COULD NOW BE TREATED
-small spread of charity hospitals

26
Q

What were some changes in hospitals during the renaissance?

A

-specialist hospitals grew (focusing on one disease) these were known as pest/pox/plague houses THIS MEANT CONTAGIOUS COULD NOW BE TREATED
-small spread of charity hospitals

27
Q

What hospital cares continued?

A
  • most sick people cared for at home as physicians were too expensive
    -women still played an important role in care for the sick
28
Q

Was there significant change in hospital care during the renaissance?

A

No

29
Q

What were apothecaries and surgeons role in the renaissance?

A

-cheaper alternative to physicians
-still no university training
-organised themselves into GUILD SYSTEMS meaning they could train as apprentices until becoming a master surgeon/apothecary
- practical experiments also grew with ongoing wars

30
Q

Physicians role during the renaissance?

A

-continued to train at university but with new subjects like anatomy
-trainees had large access to books because of the PRINTING PRESS 1440 which contained detailed anatomical drawings
-little actual practice

31
Q

Who was Andrea’s Vesalius?

A

The most famous anatomist of the renaissance who openly challenged Galens ideas

32
Q

What were the names of Vesalius’ books?

A

‘Six Anatomical Tables’ 1537
‘The Fabric Of The Human Body’ 1543

33
Q

What was The Fabric of the Human Body about?

A

dissection of humans and Galens mistakes as he used animals instead of humans
-contained many images of the body in stages of dissection

34
Q

How many mistakes did Versailus discover in Galen work and what were 2 examples?

A

300 mistakes
1.human jaw was in one part not two(Galen used a pig)
2.blood does not flow into the heart through invisible holes

35
Q

Why was Versalius important?

A

-his books were used to train doctors and it also encouraged them to dissect bodies themselves (as a result the first anatomical dissection happened in England)
-his work on veins (body contained valves meaning blood only flowed one way towards the heart) was developed by others
-he confronted the church and proved Galen was wrong which encouraged others to do so
HOWEVER many were still reluctant to challenge Galen and Versalius did not actually improve health, treatment or medicine

36
Q

Who was William Harvey?

A

Discovered the circulation of blood

37
Q

Who was Harvey a royal doctor for?

A

James l
Charles l
Meaning he had royal support for his ideas

38
Q

How did Harvey discover his findings?

A

Dissected both human corpses and live cold blooded animals (who has slower heart beats) to observe movement of their blood

39
Q

What influenced Harvey to the way the human circularity system works?

A

The new mechanical water pump

40
Q

What were Harvey’s findings?

A

-proved Galens theory about production was wrong
-proved Versalius right by trying to pump blood the ‘wrong way’ up a vein; meaning blood flowed one way
-proved arteries and veins were linked together in one system; discovered by tying a tight cord around an arm to cut off blood flow in the artery
-his theory was that blood must pass from arteries to veins through invisible passages (now known as capillaries)

41
Q

What was Harvey’s impact on medicine?

A

-argued for more dissection showing it worked
-proved Galen wrong , encouraging further challenges
-him proving blood circulation was vital in later improvements
HOWEVER
-progress on blood was slow until 1901 with transfusions
His ideas were slow to take off
-understanding of circulation had little improvement on medical treatment

42
Q

When was the Great Plague?

A

1665

43
Q

How many people died during great plague in London?

A

15% of the city ,estimates to 100,000

44
Q

What were the ideas about the cause of the plague?

A

Very similar to the Black Death
-astrology: alignment of Jupiter and Saturn October 1664+sight of a comet was troubling
-God
-miasma
-four humours,despite being less popular
DIFFERENCE
-passing it on (correct idea): disease could be passed from one person to another (victims quarantined)

45
Q

What were treatments for the plague?

A

-bleeding and purging
-herbal remedies
-transference
-prayer

46
Q

What were Quack Doctors?

A

Popular untrained individuals who sold medical cures/advice
-they wore wax cloaks with bird shaped beak masks filled with sweet smelling herbs to ward off miasma

47
Q

How did the government try to prevent the plague?

A
  • Public meetings, fairs and large funerals were banned whilst theatres were closed
  • Barrels of tar or sweet smelling herbs were burnt on newly cleaned streets to drive away the miasma
  • Over 40,000 dogs and 20,000 cats were slaughtered as they were blamed for spreading the disease
    -The mayor appointed searchers and wardens looking for those with the disease. Households
    with it were marked with a red cross and ‘Lord have mercy upon us’ written on it. They were quarantined for 28 days and the dead were collected daily
48
Q

What was the advice from healers and physicians?

A

Carrying a pomander (a ball of stuffed perfumed items) to ward away the miasma
* Dieting and fasting, or eating a diet of garlic
* Prayer and repenting your sins
* Plague Water was sold by apothecaries which included mint, rosemary, nutmeg and sugar
* Smoking tobacco (a product of the New World) was encouraged to ward off miasma
* Others were told if you catch syphilis (a similar disease) it would prevent you catching the plague, which it evidently did not

49
Q

How much progress was there during the renaissance on the cause of disease?

A

In the Renaissance they were NO CLOSER to
finding the correct cause of disease, despite scientists seeking to make discoveries

50
Q

How much progress was there in the prevention of disease during the renaissance?

A

Progress
Public Health – Efforts were made to clear miasma (sewage and draining bogs), response to Great Plague eg quarantine of those with the Plague & plague pits buried the dead away from towns
Moderation – Rich encouraged to continue to follow Regimin Sanitatis to keep healthy
HOWEVER
Public Health – Renaissance towns like London were still filthy places this is why the Great Plague spread so quickly as there were rats. Also, the government did little to help improve public health, only during the Great Plague
Prevention: Majority remained based on removing Miasma, which was linked to cause Superstitious ideas, four humours and prayer remained popular ways to prevent illness, especially during the Great Plague

51
Q

How much progress was there in the treatment and care of disease during the renaissance?

A

Progress
Hospitals – Small growth of some specialist hospitals
e.g. pox houses which focused on treating the sick
Surgery – Due the growing dissection, anatomical knowledge improved
Herbal Remedies – The New World brought new herbs/spices
No progress
-Hospital care remained the same due to the Dissolution of Monasteries which closed the majority of church run hospitals
-Alchemy and Transference treatments grew in the Renaissance but did not work
Old Treatments – The use of the Four Humours, purging, bleeding, supernatural treatment and religious cures remained common throughout the period
-Most sick people continued to be cared for at home or by wise women, whilst Physicians remained expensive for most.

52
Q

How much progress was there in medical knowledge during the renaissance?

A

Vesalius,Sydenham,Harvey +the Royal Society all made significant discoveries however they did not actually improve medicine

53
Q

Limiting factors to implement?

A

Although church power is declining, most still followed the churches ideas due to their faith
the impact of science and technology-as it did LITTLE to actually improve treatment, prevention ,diagnosis at the time and for the majority of people, these discoveries meant nothing and many could not even read the books.
Closing of the monasteries
Respect for old tradition

Medicine History GCSE (3 decks)

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