The medical Renaissance in England, c.1500-c.1700 Flashcards
What were the ideas about the causes of illness?
There was much continuity during these centuries regarding popular beliefs about the causes of disease and illness. For most people, the methods of
diagnosis, the prevention of disease and treatments for those who were sick remained very similar.
Many people still believed that disease and illness were caused by:
an imbalance of the four humours
- the theory of the four humours had been discredited by c.1700, but most people still believed in the idea of bad air, or miasma.However, as a result of the change towards a more scientific approach to learning, there were new medical ideas and discoveries. For example:
‘animalcules’ - tiny animals that could only be seen using a microscope (this is a word that we no longer use, as we now have a greater understanding of bacteria)
However, these ideas had little impact. The general public continued to believe that illness was caused by an imbalance of the four humours.There was much continuity during these centuries regarding popular beliefs about the causes of disease and illness. For most people, the methods of diagnosis,the prevention of disease and treatments for those who were sick remained very similar.
What was the impact of the printing press?
The world’s first printing press was invented in the 15th century. As a result, books could be printed, rather than written out by hand. As it was now easier to create books, more of them appeared, and more people could access them. This meant that new ideas could be spread more easily.
The invention of the printing press also meant that the Church no longer had control over what was written in books. Therefore, it could not control medical education.
Physicians
and scientists were now able to publish ideas that challenged people like Galen.
What was the royal society?
The Royal Society was founded in 1660 in London to support scientists in carrying out experiments, debating new ideas and sharing new discoveries. The Royal Society was supported by Charles II, which increased the popularity and credibility of the organisation. In 1665, the society began to issue its scientific journal.
Who was Andreas Vesalius?
During the Renaissance, Andreas Vesalius improved the existing understanding of
anatomy. His contribution to medicine shows a significant change in the importance of scientific methods, especially observation. The ideas of the ancient Greek physician Galen began to be challenged. This, in turn, encouraged the discovery of more new ideas about the human body and medicine.
What was Vesalius’ impact on dissection?
Dissection had previously been viewed as extremely indecent and blasphemous, but it was no longer banned because the power of the Church was decreasing. It was difficult to get a steady supply of
corpses. However, Vesalius was able to carry out a large number of dissections because a local
magistrate allowed him to use the bodies of executed criminals. This meant that Vesalius was able to closely observe the internal parts of the body by completing various dissection procedures.
How did Vesalius improve anatomical knowledge?
Vesalius noticed that Galen had made some incorrect assumptions about the human body, as Galen had been unable to dissect human corpses. Galen had based his ideas about the human body on his dissections of animals such as monkeys, dogs and pigs. By dissecting humans, Vesalius was able to improve on Galen’s previous work. He made the following discoveries:
the human jaw has one bone, not two
the human breastbone has three parts, not seven
blood does not flow into the heart through invisible holes in the septum (the wall dividing the ventricles of the heart) but is ‘diffused’ through it
How did Vesalius affect the training on physicians?
In 1543, Vesalius published the details of his dissections in a book called the Fabric of the Human Body. Vesalius’ discoveries led to an improved understanding of the human body.
His book was used to train
physicians across Europe, including in England. Doctors were encouraged to carry out dissections themselves and carefully observe the human body rather than relying on old books.
what was humanism?
The Renaissance saw an increase in new learning and ways of thinking. The Church had less power to tell people what they should think. Humanism was a new way of thinking. It recognised the importance of the individual in discovering the truth around them. Humanist ideas represented a challenge to the old ideas and encouraged experimentation to find the truth. They rejected the religious idea that God controlled everything.
Who was Thomas Sydenham ?
Thomas Sydenham was a respected doctor in London during the Renaissance. The theory of the four humours was still being used at this time, but it was beginning to become less popular. Sydenham was important in changing ideas about how illness should be diagnosed. He encouraged physicians to move away from the classical ideas of Galen and Hippocrates towards the new scientific ideas of observation.
What where Sydenham’s theories?
Sydenham believed that to diagnose a patient’s illness, a doctor needed to closely observe the symptoms and treat the disease that was causing them. He refused to rely solely on medical books. Contrary to the theory of the four humours, Sydenham did not believe that a disease was different from person to person. He encouraged his students to:
-observe a patient carefully
-record a description of their symptoms
-prescribe a remedy that would treat the disease
What were Sydenham’s achievements?
Sydenham became known as the ‘English Hippocrates’ because of how important he believed it was for doctors to observe their patients. He believed that each disease was different and that doctors needed to identify the exact disease before recommending a cure. He was able to identify that scarlet fever and measles (both very dangerous diseases at the time) were different.
Sydenham published his ideas about disease in a book called Observationes Medicae (Medical Observations) in 1676. His work led to a more scientific approach to medicine after the 18th century.
What was care and treatment like in the renaissance?
Despite the innovations and discoveries of people such as Andreas Vesalius and Thomas Sydenham, some ideas from the medieval period about the causes of disease and illness continued to be accepted. This meant that there was a continuation in the methods generally used to care for and treat the sick.
What was the training of physicians in the Renaissance.
For most of the Renaissance, doctors continued to learn from the books of Galen and Hippocrates at university. However, the printing press meant different ideas were starting to become available in more accessible printed books. Towards the end of the Renaissance, there were changes as the ideas of Galen were challenged by individuals such as Vesalius, Sydenham and William Harvey.
The training of physicians
took a more scientific approach, encouraging observation and experimentation. Doctors had the opportunity to dissect bodies and learn using new technology, such as the
microscope.
How were the sick cared for in the Renaissance?
Rich people continued to pay for a doctor or nurse to look after them at home. However, most people continued to seek cheaper remedies from an
apothecary,
and women continued to play an important role in the care of the sick. The first person to treat sickness was normally the patient’s wife or mother. In some villages, wealthy women provided charity and care for families.
Many medieval hospitals had been attached to
monasteries or convents. After the Reformation, when Henry VIII closed the monasteries, the hospitals were taken over by local authorities. Hospitals were now funded by charity and run by physicians. In London, St Bartholomew’s was kept open in this way. Some hospitals were beginning to concentrate on treating the sick, aiming to deal with patients’ symptoms and illnesses. However, most hospitals continued to provide care in the form of food and warmth rather than medical cures.
What was the treatments of the ill
There was very little change in the ways illness was treated during the Renaissance:
-Bloodletting and purging
were still common treatments used to balance the four humours.
-Herbal remedies were still used. An increase in travel brought new ingredients to England, such as rhubarb and tobacco, that were used to treat the sick.
-Superstition and religious beliefs remained. For example, it was believed that being touched by the monarch could cure a skin disease called scrofula (also known as the ‘king’s evil’). The monarch was seen as God’s representative on Earth, so being touched by them was the closest people could get to being touched by God.
