Renaissance medicine - approaches to prevention + treatment

• What is the time period discussed for the approaches to prevention and treatment?

  c1500-1700
• What were the main treatments aimed at rebalancing humours during c1500-1700?

  • Bleeding
  • Purging
  • Sweating
• What does the theory of transference suggest about illness?

  It suggests that an illness could be transferred to another object.
• What was believed to happen if you rubbed an object on an ailment?

  The disease would transfer from the person to the object.
• How were warts believed to be treated during this period?

  By rubbing them with an onion to transfer the warts to the vegetable.
• What unusual practice did some patients with a fever engage in?

  They slept with a sheep in the bedroom.
• How did the choice of herbal remedies change between c1500-c1700?

  • Remedies were often chosen based on color or shape.
  • Yellow herbs treated jaundice.
  • Red foods and drinks were used for smallpox.
• Who published a significant book in 1652 about herbal remedies?

  Nicholas Culpeper
• What was the purpose of Culpeper's book?

  To make information about herbal remedies available in English.
• What did vervein help treat according to Culpeper?

  Yellow jaundice, dropsy, and gout.
• What new herbal remedies appeared from the New World?

  Sarsaparilla and Ipecacuanha.
• What was cinchona bark used for?

  To treat malaria.
• What was the impact of alchemy on medical treatments?

  It led to the search for chemical cures instead of relying solely on herbs.
• What was the significance of the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis published in 1618?


  • It was a manual of remedies.
  • Included a chapter on salts, metals, and minerals.
  • Contained 122 different chemical preparations.
• What was the effect of antimony in small doses?

  It promoted sweating and cooled the body down.
• What was the Great Pox more commonly known as?

  Syphilis
• How did syphilis spread across Europe?

  It likely arrived with sailors who traveled to the New World.
• What were the three phases of syphilis as described in the study material?

  1. Sores and spots appear on genitals and mouth.
  2. Tiredness, headaches, fever, and bone aches develop.
  3. Tumors and abscesses may form, leading to severe complications.
• What was the primary method of preventing disease during this period?

  Practicing moderation and avoiding catching diseases.
• What were the beliefs about cleanliness during c1500-1700?

  • Cleanliness of home and body was important.
  • Bathing became less fashionable due to syphilis.
  • People kept clean by changing clothes more often.
• What was regimen sanitatis?

  A practice aimed at maintaining health and preventing disease.
• What changes occurred in the medical profession between c1500-1700?

  • Increased education for medical professionals.
  • Surgeons and apothecaries had to possess licenses.
  • More surgery was necessary due to new battlefield wounds.
• What was the role of apothecaries during this period?

  To mix remedies and provide treatments.
• How did the training of physicians change during c1500-1700?


  Training courses changed little, but new subjects were introduced.
• Who was Andreas Vesalius?


  The most famous anatomist of the period.
• What was Vesalius's contribution to anatomy?

  He noted errors in Galen's work and published detailed anatomical drawings.
• How did Vesalius's work differ from Galen's?

  Vesalius conducted dissections on humans, while Galen used animals.
• What were the key changes in medical education during the Renaissance?

  • Increased access to medical textbooks.
  • Use of the printing press made books cheaper.
  • More detailed illustrations became available for students.
• What was one of Vesalius's most famous publications?

  De Humani Corporis Fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body).
• How many mistakes did Vesalius find in Galen's work?

  Around 300 mistakes.
• What were some of the errors Vesalius identified in Galen's anatomy?

  The human lower jaw is in one part, and the vena cava does not lead to the liver.
• What is the title of Vesalius's famous book published in 1543?

  De Humani Corporis Fabrica
• Why was Vesalius able to conduct a large number of dissections?

  He was allowed to use the bodies of executed criminals by a local magistrate
• What did Vesalius identify as the reason for Galen's errors in anatomy?

  Galen dissected animals instead of humans
• How many mistakes did Vesalius find in Galen's original work on anatomy?

  Around 300 mistakes
• What was one of the mistakes Vesalius found regarding the human lower jaw?

  The human lower jaw was in one part, not two
• What did Vesalius discover about the vena cava?

  It did not lead to the liver
• What misconception about ribs did Vesalius correct?

  Men did not have one fewer pair of ribs than women
• How did Vesalius describe the human liver?

  The human liver did not have five separate lobes
• What did Vesalius state about the human breastbone?

  The human breastbone was in three parts, not seven