Renaissance Medicine Flashcards
What did people think caused disease? (Natural and Supernatural) - RENAISSANCE
Natural - Imbalance of the 4 humours
Supernatural - Punishment from God, misalignment of the planets
Who treated the sick? (Rich and Poor) - RENAISSANCE
Poor - Quacks, apothecaries, wise women, barber surgeons
Rich - Physicians
Which 3 inventions revolutionised medicine? - RENAISSANCE
Caxton’s printing press (1451) helped the spread of ideas and messages
The microscope helped the work of physicians and scientists
Gunpowder created new wounds which required new surgery to treat
What method of thinking became prominent in the Renaissance?
Scientific Method
Due to the collapse of belief in the church, people questioned things more, rather than accepting the church’s ideas.
What breakthroughs did Vesalius make and when did he publish his textbook? - RENAISSANCE
Vesalius dissected on humans and proved Galen wrong:
Proved the jawbone is 1 bone not 2
Proved the breastbone is in 3 pieces not 7
Proved blood doesn’t flow into the heart through invisible holes
His textbook was called ‘The Fabric Of The Human Body’ (1543)
What impacts did Vesalius’ work have? - RENAISSANCE
His work influenced Thomas Geminus to write ‘Compendiosa’, published in 1545. This was popular among barber surgeons.
How did Paré influence medicine with gunshot wounds? - RENAISSANCE
In a battle in 1537 he had to improvise, using a cream of egg and turpentine to cure gunshot wounds, rather than using boiling oil.
How did Paré eradicate cauterisation? - RENAISSANCE
What limitation?
Paré invented ligatures, which were used to tie off blood vessels and prevent blood loss
However, it involved a slow process, and could carry infection into the body
What did Harvey prove? - RENAISSANCE
Limitation
Harvey proved that blood only travels one way around the body, via the heart, contrary to Galen believing that blood was produced in the liver and moved from there
LIMITED by the fact many still believed Galen, so there was a limited impact. Many called him a quack.
Name 1 new method of treating illness (IRRATIONAL) - RENAISSANCE
The Royal Touch
What changes were there to the job of a physician? - RENAISSANCE
Started to read the ideas of people other than Galen, like Paré and Vesalius
Still treated the upper classes, very expensive services
Had the jobs of apothecaries, wise women, barber surgeon changed? - RENAISSANCE
Apothecaries - still sold singles and compounds
Wise women - no
Barber surgeon - no
What was a quack doctor? - RENAISSANCE
‘Quack’ was a term given to doctors who were believed to offer fake treatments, or to doctors from other doctors trying to discredit work
How did quacks have so much success? - RENAISSANCE
They used people’s fear in times of cholera or plague to sell useless cures. Used charisma and drama to sell. Used pamphlets to sell products.
How did Thomas Sydenham help/hinder medicine? - RENAISSANCE
Help - recognised symptoms of diseases like scarlet fever, endorsed careful observation of symptoms
Hindered - didn’t see the importance of dissection, ignored Harvey’s discoveries as they didn’t help treating patients
How did Nicholas Culpepper help/hinder medicine?
Help - critical of bloodletting, produced a guide to herbal remedies
Hindered - used astrology in his treatments
When did the Great Plague arrive in England? - RENAISSANCE
1665
What were perceived causes of the Plague? - RENAISSANCE
Punishment from God, misalignment of the planets, miasmas
What were 2 methods believed to help avoid the plague? - RENAISSANCE
Those who could afford it moved to the countryside, some smoked to keep poisoned air away
Name 3 ways in which the approach to dealing with TGP was more organised than dealing with the Black Death?
People with plague symptoms were quarantined in their houses
Bodies were buried in mass plague pits, isolating the disease
Those who had died were collected at night to avoid the spread of disease (fewer people around)
Houses with plague victims had a red cross on the door, warning people
How did the Great Plague end? - RENAISSANCE
Rats built up stronger resistance to the disease, meaning a human host wasn’t required
How were Renaissance hospitals improved on Medieval hospitals? - RENAISSANCE
They trained up new doctors through medical schools
Treatments were free
Specific hospitals were created (Bedlam for mental illness)
How were hospitals hindered in the Renaissance era? - RENAISSANCE
Most treatments were still based on the 4 humours
Who was John Hunter? - RENAISSANCE
A doctor who emphasised training new doctors (EDWARD JENNER), and encouraged new scientific method
How was John Hunter significant? - RENAISSANCE
Trained up lots of new doctors like Edward Jenner
Injected himself with diseases to observe symptoms
Promoted scientific method
Preserved plants and animals in an extensive specimen collected for observation
What was smallpox? - RENAISSANCE
A highly infectious virus which spread by coughing and sneezing, killing 30% of those carrying it
What was inoculation? - RENAISSANCE
Purposefully infecting someone in a controlled way, building resistance
What disadvantages were there to inoculation? - RENAISSANCE
Didn’t stop those who weren’t inoculated from getting smallpox
Wasn’t a financial option for the poor
Dosages could be wrong for inoculation, leading to death
How did Jenner test his vaccination? - RENAISSANCE
He injected James Phipps with cowpox, a weakened smallpox, and exposed him to smallpox upon recovery. He tested this 16 times
Why was there opposition to vaccination? - RENAISSANCE
Doctors didn’t use this method as they profited from inoculation
There was snobbery as Jenner was from the country
2 physicians carried out the procedure with contaminated equipment, leading to the death of a patient
Who were supporters of Jenner? - RENAISSANCE
The Royal Family, who were vaccinated, and the government, who gave him funding in 1802
What was private subscription? - RENAISSANCE
Where hospitals and services were funded by benefactors, banks and businesses
What was used to reduce blood loss? - RENAISSANCE
Paré used ligatures to tie blood vessels, but these could carry infection into the body
A tourniquet was used to limit blood circulation
How many patients could London’s hospitals deal with by 1800? - RENAISSANCE
20,000 patients
What new medicines were introduced by exploration? - RENAISSANCE
Opium as an anaesthetic, lemons + limes for scurvy
What was the name of Vesalius’ textbook, published in 1543? - RENAISSANCE
The Fabric of the Human Body
