Edexcel GCSE History: Medicine

• Who was William Harvey?

  Worked in London at the Royal College of Physicians, then became Royal Physician to James I and Charles I
• When was William Harvey born?

  1578
• What was William Harvey's main discovery?

  How blood circulates around the body
• Examples of Galen's mistakes that Vesalius corrected:


  No holes in the septum of the heart

  Lower jaw was one piece of bone, not two

  Liver had 2 lobes, not 5
• How important was Sydenham's work?

  His work on classifying diseases helped make diagnosis more important. Before, the emphasis was on prognosis - predicting what the disease would do next
• When was Medical Observations by Sydenham published?

  1676
• What book did Sydenham write?

  Medical Observations (1676)
• What did Sydenham discover?

  That scarlet fever was different to measles

  Introduced laudanum for pain relief

  Used iron to treat anaemia

  Use quinine to treat malaria
• What did Sydenham do?

  He made detailed observations of his patients and kept accurate records of their symptoms
• What did Sydenham believe?

  Most important to gain practical knowledge, not theoretical knowledge.
• What was Thomas Sydenham's nickname?

  English Hippocrates
• When was Thomas Sydenham alive?


  1624-1689
• Did Vesalius' work have an instant impact?

  No. It didn't have an immediate impact on diagnosis or treatment but provided the first steps towards improving them.
• Why was Vesalius' work important?

  1. Pointed out some of Galen's mistakes - encouraged others to follow.

  2. Doctors realised there was more to discover about the body

  3. Showed importance of dissecting bodies.
• How were Vesalius' ideas printed?

  Printing press
• When was 'The Fabric of the Human Body' by Vesalius published?

  1543
• When was 'Six Anatomical Pictures' by Vesalius released?


  1538
• How did Vesalius spread his ideas?

  Through his illustrated textbooks. His most important were 'Six Anatomical Pictures' and 'The Fabric of the Human Body
• Who did Vesalius perform dissections on?

  Criminals who had been executed
• Who was Vesalius?

  Medical professor in Italy. Known for work on anatomy
• When was Vesalius born?

  1514
• What did Vesalius and Sydenham believe and encourage?

  Direct observation is the best way to learn about the body. People should gain practical experience, and use dissection to understand anatomy.
• What replaced monastic hospitals?

  Free hospitals paid for by charitable donations. Run by Physicians and focused on getting better from illness.
• What happened to hospitals in the 1530s?

  Henry VIII closed down most of Britain's monasteries (dissolution of monasteries). Most hospitals were in monasteries so were shut down.
• What drugs/new ingredients were brought back to Britain from explorations abroad in the renaissance period?

  Guaiacum - believed to cure syphilis

  Quinine - drug for malaria from the bark of the Cinchona tree
• What was the impact of new weapons on medicine in the renaissance period?

  New weapons like canons and guns created injuries they hadn't seen before, forcing them to quickly find new treatments.
• Why was the college of physicians important?

  1. Encouraged licensing of doctors to stop the influence of quacks.

  2. Some of the college's physicians made important discoveries

  3. Dissection encouraged
• What did Peter Chamberlain invent?

  Forceps - used in Childbirth to this day.
• What was training/teaching like at the college of Physicians?

  Read books by Galen but also studied recent medical developments. Dissections key part of training.
• When was the College of Physicians set up?

  1518
• Where did many doctors train in the renaissance period?

  College of Physicians
• Why was there an emergence of science in the renaissance period?

  Many new books that had been found said anatomy and dissections were very important. Encouraged people to examine the body themselves, and to come to their own conclusions about the cause of disease.
• Who was Avicenna?

  A Persian physician who lived between 980 and 1037AD.
• Why did the Roman Catholic Church have less power over medical teaching in the renaissance period?

  Protestant Christianity had spread across Europe, reducing the influence of the Catholic Church.
• What were changes in the Renaissance period?

  1. Rediscovery of knowledge from Greek and Roman times. Gained access to writings from Hippocrates, Galen and Avicenna which were not available in the Medieval period.

  2. Emergence of science. People began to think about how the body worked based on direct observation and experimentation

  3. Began to question Galen's thinking and that of other ancient doctors
• What was the renaissance a time for?

  Continuity and change
• How did local governments In London try to prevent the spread of the Black Death?

  King Edward III closed parliament.
• How did local governments In Gloucester try to prevent the spread of the Black Death?


  Tried to shut itself off from outside world after hearing Black Death had reached Bristol. Suggests they thought it was spread by human contact. This was unsuccessful.
• How did local governments In Winchester try to prevent the spread of the Black Death?

  Thought you could catch the plague by being too close to the bodies of dead victims. When town cemetery became too full, townspeople refused to let the bishop extend the cemetery in the town centre. Instead, new cemeteries built outside of town, away from houses.
• In 1349, what order did Edward III send to Lord Mayor of London?


  Remove filth from the city streets, in hopes of removing bad smells