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11L1/Hi > Renaissance Medicine (1500-1700) > Flashcards

Renaissance Medicine (1500-1700) Flashcards

1
Q

What does ‘Medical Renaissance’ refer to?

A

Renaissance is a French word meaning ‘Rebirth’. The Medical Renaissance refers to a period of time where new ideas were beginning to influence medicine

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2
Q

Give 4 changes in the ideas of medicine from the medieval era

A

The Theory of the Four Humours can’t be used to explain certain diseases and illnesses
People are more curious about the world, there were lots of new ideas about causes of disease and illness
Many scientists and great thinkers wanted to better understand the world around them
People are rejecting old knowledge
There was a much better understanding of anatomy
Physicians now understood that urine was not directly related to a person’s health

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3
Q

Give 2 ideas that stayed the same from the medieval era

A

They still relied on remedies and cures from early time
They still believed miasma caused disease
The practice of medicine remained the same, despite the ideas about medicine changing

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4
Q

What happened to the Church during the renaissance, how did this affect their power?

A

During renaissance, the church (Christian) split into fragments.
A split church could no longer block new thinking, huge loss of Church’s power.
This was the start of the reformation, a break in the Catholic Church and now many identifying as Protestant - still Christian, they just practice differently.

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5
Q

What was the Kings Evil and how was it cured?

A

The Kings Evil is a tuberculous swelling of the lymph glands.
It was believed to be cured by the touch of the King or Queen

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6
Q

What was bleeding?

A

Bleeding was removing blood from a patient to balance the humours. This process actually made the patient weaker.

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7
Q

What was miasma, how did people try to combat it?

A

Miasma was bad smells from rotting material
People took more steps to remove miasma
Homeowners were fined for not cleaning the streets outside their house

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8
Q

What was alchemy?

A

Alchemy was a type of chemistry that dealt with trying to find a way to change ordinary metals into gold, and trying to find a medicine that would cure any disease

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9
Q

What was believed to cure a stye?

A

People believed that a stye could be cured by rubbing it with the tail of a black cat

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10
Q

What were the two treatments for malaria?

A

Take hair and nails of a patient. Cut them small and give them to birds in a roasted egg/put them in a hole in an oak tree, bury it.

Quinine is the other treatment. It comes from the bark of a tree in South America. It was formed due to case symptoms of malaria and was used until 1940s.

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11
Q

What was transference?

A

Transference was the idea of rubbing an object on an infected area, for example a bubo. The idea was that the disease would transfer to the object.

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12
Q

What was humanism?

A

Humanism was a love of learning and a belief that humans could make up their own minds with regars to the truth of the world around them

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13
Q

Give one reason why ideas changed in the Renaissance period

A

Changes in the approach of artists: Instead of just copying or relying on memory, artists began to: Observe, record and change. Doctors could learn from what they found.

The power of the Church: During renaissance, the church (Christian) split into fragments. A split church could no longer block new thinking, huge loss of Church’s power.
This was the start of the reformation, a break in the Catholic Church and now many identifying as Protestant - still Christian, they just practice differently.

Scientists like Galileo dared to challenge the church and traditional thinking.

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14
Q

The Regimen Sanitatis was still followed. What was the Regimen Sanitatis?

A

The Regimen Sanitatis was a loose set of instructions on how to maintain good health.

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15
Q

By 1700, very few physicians believed in what?

A

Very few physicians believed the Theory of the Four Humours by 1700.

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16
Q

In times of epidemics, what did people still wear? Why did they were them?

A

Although astrology was less popular from 1500, in times of epidemics, people still wore charms and amulets to ward off disease.

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17
Q

What did the theory William Harvey published in 1628 say?

A

The theory said that blood circulated around the body as opposed to being produced in the liver

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18
Q

Thomas Sydenham published Observationes Medicae in 1676. What did this theorise?

A

Observationes Medicae theorised that illness was caused by external facotrs, as opposed to the four humours

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19
Q

By 1683, more powerful microscopes were being developed. What did this allow for?

A

This allowed little animals or ‘animalcules’ to be observed.
Although not very clear, this was the first recorded observation of bacteria and was a ground-breaking discovery.

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20
Q

What did the Reformation lead to, in terms of the Church’s power and involvement? What did this allow for?

A

Due to the Reformation, the Church had less impact in people’s everyday lives.

This allowed more experimentation to be carried out in medicine.
Dissections of human bodies were carried out that allowed physicians to learn more about the working of the human body.

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21
Q

When and where did the Royal Society meet up for the first time?

A

The Royal Society was set up, meeting for the first time at Gresham College in London in 1660.

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22
Q

What was the aim of the Royal Society?

A

The Royal Society’s aim was to promote and carry out experiments to further the understanding of science.

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23
Q

What did the Royal Society promote and encourage?

A

They promoted the sharing of scientific knowledge and encouraged argument over new theories and ideas.

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24
Q

What did the Royal Society recieve in 1662? What did this give them?

A

The Royal Society received its Royal Charter from Charles II in 1662, which gave the credibility.

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25
In 1665, what did the Royal Society begin publishing? What did it include?
In 1665, the Royal Society began publishing their scientific journal, Philosophical Transactions. The journal had letters, book reviews and experiments that scientists could learn from. It is still published to this day.
26
Who was John Baptiste von Helmont? What did he do?
Jon Baptiste von Helmont was a Flemish physician. He developed a better understanding of the digestive system. This led to people gradually stopping believing that disease was caused by eating the wrong things. He made it so urine was no longer given as an accurate way of diagnosing illness.
27
Who was Robert Hooke?
Robert Hooke was an English scientist and the head of experiments at the Royal Society
28
Who was Anthony von Leeuwenhoek?
Anthony von Leeuwenhoek was a Dutch scientist.
29
When was the first British printing press set up?
The first British printing press was set up in the 1470s.
30
Why was the printing press useful? Give three reasons.
New ideas would have 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 much more easily. Students in universities could have their own textbooks for the first time, letting them study in detail. New ideas could be spread and debated more easily. The printing press also meant people could question existing ideas.
31
Making a single copy of a book by hand could take many months or even years. What did this mean about books?
This means that books were therefore very rare and precious
32
At least 600 different editions of Galen's books were printed between 1473 and 1599. But, there were lots of different versions, why was this a problem?
Because of the amount of different versions, it was unclear what Galen had originally written — this made his writings seem less reliable.
33
Who was Girolamo Fracastoro?
Girolamo Fracastoro was an Italian physician.
34
What group of people rejected the Theory of the Four Humours in the 16th century?
In the 16th century, the Theory of the Four Humours was rejected by some radical physicians
35
What did Paracelsus influence?
Paracelsus influenced the belief that disease was seen as something separate from the body, which needed to be attacked. New chemical treatments started to appear, influenced by the increasing popularity of alchemy.
36
What text did Girolamo Fractastoro write? What did he theorise?
In 1546, a new text called On Contagion was written by Girolamo Fracastoro It theorised that disease was caused by seeds spread in the air.
37
What did Jon Baptiste van Helmont influence?
A better understanding of the digestive system developed with the help of Jon Baptiste van Helmont. This meant that people gradually stopped believing disease was caused by eating the wrong things. Urine was no longer seen as an accurate way of diagnosing illness.
38
What did Robert Hooke write? What did it show?
A new book, Micrographia, was published in 1665 and written by Robert Hooke, showed many detailed images, including a close-up drawing of a flea, copied from a magnified image.
39
What did Antony van Leeuwenhoek develop? What did it allow to be observed? What other, two things did he discover?
By 1683, more powerful microscopes had been developed by Leeuwenhoek to allow for the observation of tiny 'animalcules' or little animals in plaque scraped from between the teeth. The images were not very clear, but they were visible. This was the first recorded observation of bacteria. He also discovered protists and bacteria.
40
What were apothecaries organised into? Why did this improve medicine?
Apothecaries were organised into a guild system, this improved medicine because it meant that you could carry out apprenticeship and then practice under supervision of a master, so you could become a master surgeon/apothecary.
41
What did surgeons and apothecaries need to have?
Surgeons and apothecaries had to have several years of practice as Journeymen, under supervision of a master.
42
What was Iatrochemistry? What did it introduce?
Iatrochemistry was a new subject taught at university. It introduced new ingredients into the stores of apothecaries.
43
Why was there little practical training for apothecaries at university?
There were very little practical training at universities because they didn't have a place to carry out dissections, so they just couldn't.
44
What were fugitive sheets?
Fugitive sheets were prints of anatomical drawings for medical students.
45
At a 16th century hospital, what did patients have?
At a 16th century hospital, patients had a good diet, a visit from a physician as well as medication.
46
Why did lots of hospitals close during the Renaissance?
Lots of hospitals closed during the Renaissance because many were connected to the church, and couldn't stay open after the dissolution of monasteries.
47
What were pest houses?
Pest houses were hospitals that specialised in one particular disease.
48
Despite the changes to hospital, how were most people still cared for?
Most people were still cared for at home, despite the changes to hospitals.
49
Give one way in which women treated the sick
Women treated the sick by healing them with herbal remedies. They also used them to purge the body or cure a particular aliment. They also treated the sick by taking detailed notes of the healing and treatments they carried out.
50
Who were the Royal Society?
The Royal Society was a prestigious scientific body founded in 1660
51
What was the aim of the Royal Society?
The Royal Society's aim was to promote and carry out experiments to further the understanding of science.
52
In addition to experiments, what else did the Royal Society promote and encourage?
They also promoted the sharing of scientific knowledge and encouraged argument over new theories and ideas.
53
What did the Royal Society recieve from Charles II in 1662? What did this give them?
The Royal Society received its Royal Charter from Charles II in 1662, which gave them credibility.
54
What did the Royal Society's scientific journal 'Philosophical Transactions' include?
The scientific journal 'Philosophical Transactions' included new inventions and discoveries
55
Apart from Philosophical Transactions, what else did the Royal Society publish? What did it show?
The society also published Robert Hooke's 1665 'Micrographia', which showed the first drawings of a flea, made using a microscope.
56
Why did the Royal Society recieve a Royal Charter from Charles II?
The Royal Society received a Royal Charter from Charles II because he took an interest in science, and they came up with new ideas for the cause of diseases.
57
Why was the journal Philosophical Transactions so significant?
The journal 'Philosophical Transactions' was so significant because it was the world's first scientific journal.
58
How did the Royal Society make their research accessible?
The Royal Society made research accessible by encouraging their members to write reports in English instead of Latin.
59
Excluding Robert Hooke, what scientist's work was promoted in Philosophical Transactions? What impact did this have?
The Royal Society promoted Antony van Leeuwenhoek's work by publishing it in Philosophical Transactions, news of his discoveries then spread quickly and widely.
60
Who was Andreas Vesalius? What did he study?
Andreas Vesalius was an anatomist and surgeon and he studied the human body.
61
What was Andreas Vesalius' opinion of Galen?
Vesalius originally respected Galen but then looked into his ideas and disproved them.
62
Give one example of a theory from Galen, that Andreas Vesalius disproved
Vesalius disproved Galen's theory that animals and humans have different anatomy. He also disproved Galen's theory that there was 2 jawbones, when there was only 1.
63
What were Vesalius' two books?
Vesalius' books: Fabric of the human body (June 1543) and 6 Anatomical Tables (1537)
64
What did Vesalius think doctors should do? Why?
Vesalius thought that doctors should carry out their own dissections instead of relying on Barber Surgeons to do it for them. That way, you can see mistakes made by previous anatomists
65
In terms of dissections, what did Vesalius think students should do?
Vesalius thought students should get involved in dissections more closely.
66
Vesalius checked his publications at the printers before copies were made. What did this do?
Vesalius personally checked his publication at the printers before copies were made - this cut down on printing errors.
67
What did the use of the printing press mean?
The use of the printing press meant that the church was not in charge of medical books anymore.
68
Give two impacts of Andreas Vesalius
Immediate Impacts: Andreas Vesalius was the first person to challenge Galen He made a map of the human body and detailed with explanations and labels Long Term Impacts: He hoped that correcting errors in Galen's work on anatomy, more people would begin to question ancient scholars. Even today, we continue to challenge ideas in science.
69
Give three findings of Andreas Vesalius
Through dissection of humans, Vesalius discovered that the human lower jaw was in one part, not two. Vesalius found out that the Vena Cava (the main artery leading out of the heart) did not lead to the liver. By dissecting animals, Vesalius found over 300 mistakes in Galen's original work on anatomy. Galen's work on anatomy said that the human breastbone was in seven parts, however, Vesalius discovered that it was actually in three parts. Vesalius discovered that the human liver did not have five separate lobes. Vesalius discovered that men and women had the same amount of pairs of ribs. This was unlike Galen's theory that said that men had one pair fewer of ribs.
70
What was often done to Vesalius' work?
Vesalius' work was heavily copied, and even plagiarised. Versions of the drawings from his book, On the Fabric of the Human Body appeared in other medical texts and fugitive sheets.
71
By correcting errors in Galen's work, what did Vesalius hope people would do?
Vesalius hoped that by correcting the errors in Galen's work on anatomy, more people would begin to use the ancient texts.
72
After Vesalius died, what did Fabricus discover? Who did he share this with?
After Vesalius died, Fabricus (Another physician) discovered valves in human veins. Fabricus shared this with his students - one of whom was William Harvey, who went on to discover the circulation of blood.
73
What was William Harvey's job? How did this help him?
William Harvey was a Royal Doctor for James I - which gave him credibility.
74
Like Sydenham, what did Harvey encourage doctors to do?
He encouraged doctors to believe what they saw, not what they read. This was a belief carried on by Sydenham later on.
75
What did Harvey carry out to make his discoveries?
Harvey carried out experiments on living animals to make his discoveries.
76
Galen thought bood was used up in the liver? How did Harvey disprove this and what did he find?
Galen thought that blood was used up in the liver but with the use of dissection, Harvey found that there was lots of blood and it constantly circulated around the body.
77
How did Harvey prove his circulation theory?
Harvey proved this system was linked by tying a tight cord around somebody's arm and cutting off the blood flow in the artery leading to the arm. The artery in the arm is deeper than the veins, loosening the cord allowed the blood to flow into the arm, stopped it from flowing out meant the veins swelled with blood.
78
Harvey dissected cold-blooded animals. What was the advantage of this and what did it allow him to observe?
Cold-blooded animals, have a much slower heartbeat. This allowed Harvey to observe the movement of their blood while they were still alive.
79
What did Harvey prove was linked together in one system?
William Harvey proved that the arteries and veins were linked together in one system
80
What did Harvey say the heart acted like? Why?
Harvey said the veins carried blood and the heart acted as a pump He saw how mechanical fire pumps worked and linked it to the human heart
81
What did the decline in the Church's power enable Harvey to do?
The decline of the power of the church enabled Harvey to be critical of Galen's teaching on medicine.
82
What was William Harvey's book?
Harvey's book was 'An anatomical Account of the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals'
83
What did Harvey still believe in? What effect did this have on his work?
Harvey still followed and believed some elements of the ancient world - the work of Aristotle - These beliefs damaged Harvey's work.
84
Attitudes towards science and technology in medicine increased due to Harvey's work. What was the reason for this?
Because of Harvey's work on the circulation system and the heart, people were wondering what else Galen may have got wrong. Harvey's work encouraged more experimentation
85
What opposition did William Harvey face?
Many doctors ignored Harvey's work and criticised him
86
Give three impacts William Harvey had or didn't have
Understanding the circulation of the blood had very little practical use in medical treatment. His work was limited for the 17th century. Harvey paved the way for modern understanding of anatomy and how the human body functions. Harvey's work on the circulation of the blood around the body helped with the issue of bleeding in surgery. Due to Harvey's work having no practical application in medicine, English textbooks continued to give Galen's account on the heart and blood flow until 1651. Harvey's ideas on the circulation system and blood only started to appear in universities from 1673. Harvey's theory encouraged other scientists to experiment on actual bodies. Harvey still followed and believed some elements of the ancient world - the work of Aristotle - These beliefs damaged Harvey's work. Attitudes towards science and technology in medicine increased due to Harvey's work on the circulation system and the heart. People were wondering what else Galen may have got wrong. Harvey's work encouraged more experimentation. Many doctors ignored his work and criticised him.
87
Who was Thomas Sydenham?
Thomas Sydenham was an English physician
88
What field did Syndenham work in?
Thomas Sydenham worked in the field of epidemiology
89
What was one of Sydenham's main contributions to medicine?
One of Sydenham's main contributions to medicine was the championing of observation over the theory of diagnosing patients.
90
What did Sydenham refuse to rely on? What did he do instead?
Sydenham refused to rely on medical textbooks and instead he diagnosed a patient by closely observing the symptoms separately and treating the disease causing them.
91
What didn't Sydenham believe in? Why?
Sydenham didn't believe in the Theory of the Four Humours as he believed the nature of the patient had very little to do with the disease.
92
What did Thomas Sydenham encourage his students to do?
Sydenham encouraged his students to observe patients and make detailed notes on their symptoms.
93
How did Sydenham think diseases could be classified.
Sydenham thought that diseases could be classified like animals or plants - the different types of disease could be discovered using patients' symptoms.
94
Why was Sydenham's disease classification theory so controversial?
It was one of his most controversial ideas, because the Theory of the Four Humours said that a patient's disease was personal to them and caused by a number of individual factors. He was directly disagreeing with the Theory of the Four Humours.
95
What treatment for maleria did Sydenham popularise?
Sydenham popularised the use of cinchona bark, from Peru, in treating malaria.
96
What textbook was Sydenham the author for?
Sydenham was the author of Observationes Medicae which was published in 1676 and became a standard textbook of medicine for 200 years.
97
What did Thomas Sydenham's book, Observationes Medicae, theorise?
Observationes Medicae theorised that illness was caused by external factors, rather than the four humours.
98
What did Thomas Sydenham become known as?
Sydenham became known as the 'English Hippocrates'
99
What disease did Sydenham discover?
Sydenham discovered the disease, Sydenham's Chorea which was also known as St Vitus Dance
100
What did Sydenham introduce to relieve pain?
Sydenham introduced laudanum to relieve pain
101
What two diseases did Sydenham show were different?
Sydenham showed that scarlet fever was different to measles
102
What did Sydenham use to cure anaemia and quinine?
Sydenham was also one of the first doctors to use iron to treat anaemia, and quinine for malaria.
103
What was a quack doctor?
A quack doctor is someone that pretends to have knowledge and skill that they do not possess, in medicine.
104
What effect did quack doctors use to get people to buy their products?
Quack doctors often used the placebo effect to get people to buy their products.
105
What is the placebo effect?
The placebo effect is when a person's physical or mental health appears to improve after taking a placebo or 'dummy' treatment
106
Give one reason why new ideas took a long time to be adopted
Transport and communication were two reasons why new ideas took a long time to be adopted
107
What was conservatism?
Conservatism is when people still preferred to stick with the ways of the past
108
In what year did the Great Plague hit London?
In 1665, London was struck by the Great Plague
109
What was the death toll from the Great Plague in London? What percentage of the city's population was this?
London's death toll was about 100,000 — this was around 20% of the city's population.
110
Doctors and priests were most affected by the Great Plague. Why?
Doctors and priests were often most affected because the sick went to them for help.
111
When the Great Plague hit London, what did many rich people do?
When the Great Plague hit London, many rich people fled the city
112
What were the common treatments for the Great Plague? Give 4
Just like for the black death, people: Wore lucky charms or amulets Said prayers Fasted Used bloodletting - made the plague wounds and created wounds that could become infected Carried around posies of herbs or flowers to improve the air from miasma Strapping a live chicken to the swelling (transference)
113
During the Great Plague, what were some special remedies made of?
Some special remedies were made using ingredients like dried toad, during the Great Plague
114
What was the Great Plague?
The Great Plague was a rare but deadly recurrence of the Black Death
115
Local councils took measures to stop the spread of the Great Plague. Why were they largely ineffective?
The council's methods were largely ineffective because they didn't know the cause of the disease.
116
Give two ways that local councils tried to prevent the spread of the Great Plague
Councils tried to quarantine plague victims to prevent them passing on the disease to others. The victim's house was locked and a red cross was painted on their door, along with the words "Lord have mercy upon us." Areas where people crowded together such as theatres were closed. People tried not to touch other people. E.g. if someone had to give money in a shop, the coins might be placed in a jar of vinegar. The dead bodies of plague victims were buried in mass graves away from houses. Carts organised by the authorities roamed the city to the infamous cry of "bring out your dead!", collecting corpses for burial. Local councils paid for lots of cats and dogs to be killed, because they thought they carried the disease

11L1/Hi (6 decks)

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