The Renaissance period Flashcards
How long is the Renaissance period?
From 1500- 1700
The Great Plague [3]:
- 1665-1666
- 1/3 of the population of York died from the plague
- It is estimated that 75,000 people died
Preventions of The Great Plague [4]:
- Theatres and taverns were closed to prevent the plague from spreading
- Fires were lit to cleanse the poisoned air
- House owners were ordered to sweep the streets outside their houses
- The mayor of London ordered watchmen guarded houses to make sure the infected and their families would stay shut inside their homes
Treatments for the Great Plague [3]:
- Herbal remedies
- Bleeding purging
- Prayers
- Cut open the buboes and let out the puss
What were the believed causes of the Great Plague?
[6]:
- Miasma
- God
- Imbalance in 4 humours
- movement of planets
- Rotting waste/food
- stagnant water
Medical changes in the Renaissance [3]:
- The new experimental approach to science changed the way doctors thought
- This paved the way for people to start questioning Galen and Hippocrates’ ideas
- Harvey provided evidence for the importance of dissection
William Harvey [2]:
- Discovered blood circulation which disproved Galen’s idea that blood was manufactured in the liver
- He published his book;” An anatomical account of the motion of the heart and blood” in 1628
How did Harvey prove his blood circulation theory?
[3]:
- Dissecting live cold-blooded animals whose hearts beat slowly
- Dissecting human bodies
- Proving that veins carried blood and not air as Galen thought
Public reaction to Harvey’s circulation theory:
They believed that Harvey was completely lost his mind and mostly dismissed his theory completely
The microscope [2]:
- Invented in 1590
- Allowed scientists to take a closer look at the specimens they collect
The printing press [4]:
- Invented in the 1490 (end of the medieval period)
- Became popular in the renaissance
- More books were published in medicine
- New discoveries circulated faster
Andreas Vesalius [3]:
- Published his work: “The fabric of the Human body” in 1543
- He proved that the human jaw bone 1 bone not 2 like Galen side
- Discovered that the breast bone has 3 parts not 7 as Galen said
Healers and Hospitals
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Medieval ideas that stayed in the renaissance era [4]:
- Doctors still believed that the supernatural and God caused disease
- Pilgrimages and prayers were still prescribed to cure illness
- People still sought wise women and apothecaries to cure diseases
- The renaissance doctors still did not have much training
Define quackery:
Dishonest practices and claims to have special knowledge and skill in some field, typically medicine