Renaissance Times Flashcards
Astrology
Some people continued to use planets as an explanation for disease.
Miasma
Was believed to be invisible seeds in the air that could be “caught”
The Catholic Church
The power of the Catholic Church was challenged, printed books meant the Catholic Church no longer had control over what ideas could be printed or produced.
The Four Humours
The basis for explaining illness was put under pressure by Thomas Sydenham developing the scientific approach towards medicine.
The Regimen Sanitatis
A well followed guide on the importance of bathing and praying to stay healthy.
Humoural treatments
Bleeding and purging.People would bleed either using leeches, cutting veins or “cupping” to suction out the blood. Purging would be done with camomile.
Herbal Remedies
Herbs were more exotic and came from overseas. Coffee was used as a treatment for depression and constipation.
Apothecaries
Apothecaries were some of the first people to experiment with chemicals / arsenic compounds.
Barber Surgeons
Barber surgeons would do things like remove boils from heads and arrows from bodies. They began to be licenced and trained in Renaissance times. Skilled Barbers could remove cataracts from eyeballs. Surgical tools would be basic and dirty.
Care in the home
In Renaissance times people would be visited by “health maidens” bringing them remedies.
Printed Books
In the Renaissance, this invention meant the Catholic Church could no longer strictly control ideas. New medical texts and diagrams could be quickly spread between places and discoveries could be improved. Galen began to be proved incorrect. This invention helped that.
The Royal Society
The Royal Society promoted a more scientific way of looking at the world. It received money from King Charles II in 1662. They published findings like the invention of the microscope and the first illustrations of “animalcules” in 1702.
Treating the Great Plague
Towns were ordered to burn tar to purify the air. 40,000 dogs and 200,000 cats were killed. People and their families were quarantined. Antimony was used as a chemical that could cool down fevers.
Chemical Cures
People began to experiment with Arsenic, Mercury and Antimony and make compounds in an attempt to cure people’s illnesses.
Pest Houses
Became more common after 1536. After the theory of contagious diseases was written down, these became places where people with specific diseases like leprosy, plague and pox would go. Apothecaries and physicians would have contracts with Pest Houses.
