renaissance medicine c1500-1700 Flashcards
how did the black death encourage change for the renaissance
the black death began to encourage change as survivors were paid higher wages because employers had to attract workers. education was pushed
what happened with the theory of four humours in the 16th century
it was rejected by some radical physicians as 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
what was williams harvey discovery
1628- a new theory was published in Britain, which suggested that blood circulated around the body instead of being made in the liver, as taught by Galen
what did Jan Baptiste van Helmont (a flemish physician discover )
a better understanding of the digestive system was developed. 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
what did Robert hooke (an english scientist and head of experiments at royal society ) discover
New microscopes were begging developed, which allowed for much clearer magnification. A new book Micrographia , published in 1665 showed many detailed images including a close - up drawing of a flea copied from a magnified image
what did thomas sydenham (english physician ) discover
1676- rhe medical text book Observationes Medicae was published . this theoried that illness was caused by external factors rather than the four humours
what did antony van leeuwenhoek (a dutch scientist ) discover
1683- more powerful microscopes had been developed 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
what is humanism
love of learning , new interests in classical scholars
the idea that we can make up our own mind
16th century humanism -
rejecting that god was responsible , looking back at galen and hippocrates
-590 editions of Galen’s writing were published
17th century humanism
more experiments began
church has less authority
new ideas started to gain more support
why was Thomas Sydenham work important
he focused on moving medicine . refused to rely on medical books when diagnosing . closely observed symptoms and treating disease causing them
thomas sydenham didn’t rely on medical books instead he
closely observed the symptoms and treating the disease causing them. this was a change from medieval period as they treated each of symptoms separately instead of seeing them as all side effects of one cause
why were Thomas Sydenham ideas controversial
he thought diseases were like plants and animals in that they could be organized in different groups. he encouraged detailed descriptions of symptons & then look for remedies to tackle disease. he was not able to isolate and identify various microorganisms but was able to identify measles & scarlet fever wer separate p
Thomas Sydenham treatments included
- airy bedrooms
- light blankets
- cold drinks
thomas sydenham ideas were important because
they helped medicine to progress further and treatments became successful
what impact did Andrea Vesalius have
he wrote a book called them fabric of the human body’ written in 1543
now knew exactly what skeleton looks like as they have dissected one
public dissection of human body - galens work was disproved so has been sidelined
Vesalius carries out dissection - monkeys were sidelined as use to be dissected
importance of versalius
- public dissection was like a show and open to encourage everyone
- showed other people by printing books and artists drew in them
gradual developments in training of doctors
- in a handful of hospitals (in edinburgh and st Bart’s London) part of their training took place on wards
- they studied the work of vesalius on anatomy and Harvey on physiology
- training emphasized the importance of taking a scientific approach and observing symptoms and trying out treatments
- more doctors had the chance to dissect bodies so they could learn for themselves
- new equipment developed such as microscopes & thermometers although these still bedded a lot of improvement in the future
healers and hospitals in renaissancd
woman still played a major part in everyday medicine as first person to treat nearly all sickness was wide or mother of sick people. wealthy ladies often provided care for local families. most preferred cheaper and more familiar remedies from surgeons , apothecaries & their family
many medieval hospitals were part of monasteries. Henry VII closed them in the 1530s some were taken over by town councils
this changed hospitals as they started to have 800 patients & 12 wards by 1660s
however if u had infectious diseases they were still ahout care rather than cure
what were problems with galen in renaissance
had given a full description of anatomy of the body and dissected apes and pigs which weren’t similiar to humans
andreas vesalius achievements
proving that galen could be wrong, he proved that : human jaw bone is made from one bone to two, breast one has three parts not seven and blood does not flow into heart through invisible holes in septum as galen suggested . he published ‘The Fabric of the Human body’ in 1543 firsy highly detailed book describing human anatomy. illustrations showed body in far more detail and for more accurately than before
why was andreas vesalius able to make these achievements
science & technology: printing , he supervises the engraving of illustrations and printing himself. printing meant everything came out the same with no mistakes. thousands of copies of his book were used all over europe
individuals : he was inventive and determined he worked in where dissection was encouraged
attitudes: seeking improvement believed it was vital to ask questions & challenge traditional ideas by carrying out dissections
when was Andreas Vesalius book used
used in cambridge bt 1860 and led to doctors writing corrections about anatomy in older medical books. he is just about anatomy not worked out causes or treatments
why was andreas vesalius significant to medicine
first person to publish work on dissections - proved galen wrong and was a major turning point in medical treatment
what did galen think abt blood vs harvey
Galen thought there were two kinds of blood , harvey claims no as he claims blood circulation
william harvey born in 1578, died in 1657 who did he work for
as a doctor to king charles I , many didn’t believe his ideas at first as they still believes in galen so they were against him
he proved ideas which were taught wrong although the wasn’t recognized for his work in the beginning of his career
what were harvey’s immediate impact
immediate impact of Harvey’s theory was that he encouraged other scientists to experiment on actual bodies
his impacts were initially limited because he paved the way for a modern understanding of anatomy and how human body functions, but a lot of doctors at the time ignored him. some she openly criticized him as they didn’t like being told they were doing their job wrong
until 1651 , English medical textbooks continued to give Galen’s account; Harvey’s ideas only began to appear in universities from 1673
what did william harvey discover and what is his book called
he discovered blood circulated around the body
his book ‘An Anatomical account of the motion of the hesrt and blood ‘ which describes how blood circulates around the body
how did william harvey prove galen wrong
he showed that the heart acts as a pump, pumping blood around the body. he did this by : dissecting live cold -blooded animals who heart beat slowly so he could see the movement of each muscle. dissecting human bodies to build up detailed knowledge of the heart, he tried to pump liquid past valves in veins but could not do so. proving that veins carry blood , not blood and air
calculating amount of blood going into the arteries each hour was 3x a mans weight. this showed some blood is being pumped around body by the heart
what helped harvey
Harvey was employed by charles I as his personal physician this gave him credibility
individuals such as vesliaus had previously proved parts of the work of galen wrong , which made it easier for other scientists and physicians to do the same
he was exceptionally thorough in his work , spending many hours repeating experiments and going over every detail
new popular teuchnologies , like pump used when fighting fires inspired Harvey to look again at how the heart worked
herbal remedies in renaissancd
herbal remedies : handed down through generations from mother - daughter. girls learned to mix up remedies using ingredients like honey when kills bacteria . mary doggett used a remedy for scurvy which is used horseradish roots, white wine, water & a quart of orange juice or 12 thinly cut oranges. scurvy leads to internal bleeding & death is a result of not eating enough fruit & veg
bleeding & purging in renaissancd
still very common medical treatments. physicians still believed in theory. even tho they must have weakened patients considerably like charles II. European travels to america & asia bought new ingredients for treatments to england . rhubarb from asia was widely used to purge bowles. Ipecacuanna from brazil prescribed for dysentery & to make ppl vomit
god & king in renaissance
between 1660&1682 over 92,000 visited the king court believing if charles II touched them they would be cured from skin disease scrofula, known as king’s evil. being touched by king was as close as being touched by god
the great plague causes
same as 1348 (black death )
- 4 humours
- astrology
- miasma
- punishment from god
progress : great plague 1665
no meetings of royal society while there’s plague
new microscopes are wonderful- detail your can’t see with naked eye
had books
harvey’s theory that blood circulates round the body
physicians trained at universities , reading books by Greek , Roman and Arab writers. they studied discoveries by Vesalius and Harvey but new ideas were rarely accepted immediately
physicians look down on us as surgeons but u won’t find a physician who can sew up a wound like this
house owners were ordered to sweep the streets outside their homes
plague water! guaranteed protection from the plague! the best wine mixed with the best herbs. three glasses a day and you’ll live to be eighty
stagnation / regression in great plague
plague struck in 1665 the mayor of london ordered watchmen to guard houses to make sure the sick and their families stayed shut up
taverns and theatres were closed to stop spreading
fires were lit in the streets to cleanse the poisoned air
another cross on a door god has sent plague to punish our sins. i’m leaving london today to get away from this bad air
you need to start carrying a bunch of herbs to keep bad air away
morher dosed us with rhubarb
treatments for the plague
london treacle contained wine, herbs, spices, honey and opium
prayed to sick
have magical / religious charms to wear to cut out buboes
traders sold ‘Great Machines’
wrap ppl in woolen clothes to make sock person sweat until sores befinf to rise - apply pigeon to sores or plaster made of yolk of egg , honey, herbs of grace & wheat and flour
how to avoid catching plague
bunches of strong smelling herbs (lavender or sage) hung in doorways
bundles of herbs under nose
when buying food coins so asked in vinegar
drink plague water
stay home to avoid contact w others
keep the air sweet to ward off bad air
how to prevent spread of plague
mayor of london published detailed orders
orders weren’t always easy to enforce
fasting
bonfires lit in streets to cleanse air of poison
bedding was hung in smoke fire before being used again
public prayer - people would public ally confess sins & beg god to be merciful
causes compared to medieval
medieval - 4 humours, god, astrology, miasma
renaissance the same
treatment comparisons to medieval
medieval - blood letting, purging, herbal remedies, praying
renaissance- bleeding & purging, god & king, remedies - folk & herbal
prevention compared to medieval
medieval- purifying air, employed ppl to clean streets, good diet, prayer
renaissance- public prayer, bonfires in street to cleanse air, bedding was hung in street in smoke fire before being use again
healers and hospitals compared to medieval
medieval- only to care not to cure diseases, run by nuns and monks, hospitals run by churches
renaissance- still about care rather than cure but women would often treat families
physicians and training compared to medieval
medieval- diagnose you using urine and astrology, consult astrology to determine best approach of treatment, housewife, dissection of animals
renaissance- harvey & sydenham books were printed as printing press had spread, learnt real anatomy and science, dissection of human ana romy
