The Impact of the Renaissance on Britain Flashcards
When and where did the Renaissance begin?
- Florence, Italy
- Late 15th century
What does Renaissance mean?
Rebirth
State and explain 5 consequences of the Renaissance
- New lands- explorers and merchants discovered the Americas and brought back new food and medicines
- Printing- new and ancient ideas spread quickly
- Art- showed human body in realistic detail
- New inventions- technology such as gunpowder caused new wounds
- New learning- more scientific approach to learning involving questioning and experiment
What was dissection like before Versalius?
- Done to prove Galen right, not to challenge him
- Galen’s words were read while an assistant did the dissection
Who was Versalius? Time as professor of surgery?
- 1514-64
- was Belgium, studied in Paris where he learned Galen’s anatomy
- As professor of surgery at University of Padua, he began to question Galen’s opinions
How did Versalius change dissection?
- Did the dissections himself
- Said medical students should learn from dissections
Name Versalius’s book? What year?
Fabric of the Human Body ,1543
Why was Fabric of the Human Body so revolutionary?
- Beautifully illustrated, accurate textbook
- Based on dissections and observations of the human body
- Sorted organs into different systems within the body showing how they worked together
- corrected Galen’s mistakes because he dissected animals only
- Provided proof of Galen’s mistakes- e.g. the breastbone in a human has 3 parts, not 7 as in an ape
What was the reaction to Versalius like?
- Criticised for saying Galen was wrong
- Made to leave his job in Padua
- Later became a doctor for the Emperor Charles V
What was Versalius’s contribution to medical progress in England?
- in 1545, Thomas Geminus copied Versalius’s illustrations and put them into a manual for barber surgeons, Compendiosa
- Compendiosa was extremely popular and 3 editions were published between 1545 and 1559
What was Versalius’s significance- short and long term?
- Overturned centuries of belief in Galen’s incorrect study of anatomy
- Transformed anatomical knowledge
- Although it didnt lead to any cure, it was the basis for better future treatments
- Showed other how to properly perform dissections- e.g. Fabricus and Fallopius
What was thought about gunshot wounds and how were they treated before Paré?
- Thought to be poisonous
- Were burnt out using hot oil, followed by a cream of rose oil, egg white, and turpentine
What did Paré discover about gunshot treatments (by accident)?
- In 1537, he ran out of hot oil so improvised and used just the cream (egg white, turpentine, and rose oil)
How were bleeding wounds dealt with before Pare?
*Cauterised to stop bleeding
How did Pare deal with bleeding wounds?
- Used Galen’s method of tying blood vessels with ligatures
- Invented the ‘crow’s beak clamp’ to halt bleeding
Whose work did Pare translate and use in his famous ‘works on surgery’ (1575)?
Versalius’
How did Pare’s work become well known in the 16th century?
- Queen Elizabeth I’s surgeon, William Clowes, made Pare’s work well known * Described him as the ‘famous surgeon master’
- Copied his burn treatment using onions
How did William Harvey challenge Galen?
By saying that blood circulated round the body rather than new blood being constantly made in the liver and burnt up as fuel
How did William Harvey challenge Galen?
By saying that blood circulated round the body
Summarise Galen’s view on blood
New blood was constantly made in the liver and burnt as fuel in the body
How did Harvey make his discovery of the circulation of blood?
- Calculated how much blood would have to be produced if it was fuel for the body
- Dissected and studied human hearts
- Experimented with pumping liquid the wrong way through the veins, proving blood could only go one way
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
What sort of animals did Harvey observe? Why?
- Cold-blooded animals, like lizards
- To understand how muscles worked
How long did Harvey wait before publishing his discovery?
12 years
Why did Harvey wait so long before publishing his discovery? (5 reasons)
- Didn’t know WHY blood circulated
- Didn’t know why there was different coloured blood in veins and arteries
- Didn’t how how blood got from arteries to veins
- Knew there’d be critism of his going against Galen and challenging bloodletting to balance 4 humours
What was the reaction to Harvey’s discovery like?
- Critics said he was mad or ignored his ideas
- Rejected his theory because he contradicted Galen or did not believe his calculations
When was Harvey’s theory accepted? Why?
- In 1661, 4 years after his death
- A microscope was made that could see the capillaries, connecting veins and arteries
How significant was Harvey’s discovery? Why? /Why not?
- Not immediately useful
- Transfusions did not happen until 1901 when blood groups were discovered
- Significant today because understanding blood and circulation allows us to quickly test and diagnose illness, and carry out advanced surgery, like organ transplants
