Topic 4 - Ideas about the cause of disease and illness in the renaissance period

Question 1

What does renaissance mean?

Answer 1

Rebirth

Question 2

Describe the main changes that the renaissance brought about in scholarship?

Answer 2

Scholars revisited the Ancient Greek and Roman texts to learn from them as opposed to just reading Hippocrates and Galen

Question 3

Did Renaissance beliefs about the cause of disease change much from medieval beliefs?

Answer 3

No, even thouh there were medical advancements, what caused disease was still not known and people still believed in theory of four humours, superstitious beliefs and miasma

Question 4

What were two things that led to a more scientific approach in medicine during the Renaissance?

Answer 4

1. Developments in technology that aided dissection

2. The lessening importance of religion and its strict rules in society

Question 5

How did the scientific approach differ from previous approaches to medicine?

Answer 5

The scientific approach emphasised the importance of learning through experimentation

Question 6

What method did Sydenham use?

Answer 6

He observed symptoms collectively as a result of one disease, instead of looking at and treated symptoms individually

Question 7

What was the impact of the printing press in regards to the spread of medical ideas?

Answer 7

• meant that new ideas could spread very rapidly
• increased general level of understanding around many parts of the world
• allowed new ideas to challenge old beliefs
• meant there were fewer inconsistencies in books

Question 8

In what year was the royal society formed?

Answer 8

1660

Question 9

List three ways of how the Royal Society aided the transmission of medical ideas

Answer 9

1. They published medical books
2. They hosted lectures and discussions
3. They sponsored scientists, allowing them to conduct research and experiments

Question 10

What suspected reason for the cause of disease declined in popularity most during this period and how?

Answer 10

Spiritual causes:

• As scientific approaches increased, people stopped believing God caused and cured all diseases
• The power and influence of the church was rapidly declining during the period too

Question 11

What is dissection?

Answer 11

the act of cutting up a body in order to scientifically examine it

Question 12

Why did dissection become more popular during the Medical Renaissance?

Answer 12

Because the influence of the church was declining