The Renaissance Flashcards
Why was there no advancement in the understanding of the cause and treatment of disease in the Renaissance?
- there was a reluctance to change - 1665 plague epidemic showed people were still believing in four humours and astrology
- new ideas not linked to the cause of disease - Leeuwenhoek’s bacteria could be seen through newly-invented microscopes but not linked
Who were the healers available in the Renaissance and what were their treatments/training?
- Mother/wise woman - herbal remedies
- Wealthy women - provided care for local families
- Trained physician - trained at university and passed exams, used Galen’s ideas
- Apothecary - mixed remedies for physician
- Quacks - healers with no training
Describe hospitals in the Renaissance (9)
- Many closed when Henry VIII closed the monasteries
- Taken over from Church by town councils and charities
- St Bartholomew’s Hospital kept open and 12 wards were added, serving over 300 patients
- 11 new hospitals opened
- Many continued not to admit patients with infectious diseases
- Patients kept clean, given food and warmth
- Expected to pray for recovery
- If became sick were bled and given herbs
- Simple surgery carried out
What is a case study to prove there was no further understanding of the cause or treatment of disease in the Renaissance?
King Charles II, who was bled to death by physicians
What were four factors that allowed change in the Renaissance, and what was the effect on medicine?
- Power of the church and kings challenged
Henry VIII created the Church of England to get a divorce. This meant the power of the Catholic Church decreased and doctors were able to dissect the bodies criminals - Microscope invented
They were able to look at parts of the body in detail. - Artists discover perspective
Anatomical drawings showed accurate measurements of parts of the body. Diagrams are accurate, so doctor’s training improves. - Printing invented
Medical books can be reproduced and widely spread between universities.
What was the impact of Andreas Vesalius? (4)
- showed the human jawbone is made from one bone, not two
- showed the breastbone has three parts, not seven
- showed blood does not flow into the heart through invisible holes in the septum
- showed doctors could learn more about anatomy and had to carry out human dissection to learn more
What was the impact of William Harvey?
- proved the heart acts a pump
- dissected live cold-blooded animals whose hearts beat slowly to see the movement of each muscle in the heart
- dissected human bodies to build up detailed knowledge of the heart
- proved the body has a one-way system for the blood
- showed the same blood is being pumped around the body by the heart
How did Harvey prove the body has a one-way system for blood?
He tried to pump liquid past the valves in the veins but could not do so
How did Harvey show the same blood is being pumped around the body by the heart?
He calculated the amount of blood going into the arteries each hour was three times the weight of a man. This showed the same blood was being pumped around the body by the heart.
What book did Vesalius publish?
‘The Fabric of the Human Body’
In what year did Vesalius publish ‘The Fabric of the Human Body’?
1543
How did Vesalius work with and why?
The artist Titian, meaning his dissections were recorded in photographic detail
Who did anatomists in the Renaissance dissect, and who were they delivered by?
Criminals, delivered by the Christian Brotherhood
Why were Vesalius’s dissections so popular?
- They took place during the carnival before Lent
- He was a good showman
- The operating theatre was the place to be seen
Who was Harvey personal physician to?
King Charles I
Who did Harvey use for his ideas, and why?
The son of Viscount Montgomery, because he had no ribcage over his heart due to a riding accident. This allowed Harvey to see the beating of the heart
What idea of Galen’s did Harvey disprove?
Galen claimed the heart consumed the blood made for it by the liver, but Harvey proved it pumped blood around the body
Why did Harvey’s discovery threaten physicians?
It destroyed the professional practice of bloodletting and showed all they believed was wrong
What did training at Edinburgh University involve during the Renaissance?
- Some practical training in hospitals
- Taking part in some dissections, but there was a shortage of bodies (could only dissect two a year)
What did William Hunter do and when?
- In the 1760s, he set up his own medical school at home, specialising in anatomy
- He emphasised the importance of experimenting to test treatments and not just accepting ideas
In the Renaissance, who could not become physicians and why?
Women could not become physicians because they could not attend university
What is inoculation?
To give a tiny bit of the disease so the person can build up immunity
When did inoculation become widespread in Britain?
After Lady Wortley Montague had her children inoculated in 1721
In what years was the Great Plague?
1665-1666
What actions did the authorities take in London during the Great Plague?
- burned dirty clothes
- appointed extra rakers to collect rubbish
- killed dogs and cats
- isolated victims (quarantine)
- appointed searchers to examine for signs of sick people to quarantine
- appointed Constables to shut up infected houses
- fired guns into the sky to break up miasma
Why did public health not improve in the Renaissance?
- the central government did not believe it was their job
- local governments lacked money, understanding, desire and power
