History medicine through time

• Edward Jenner, an English physician and scientist, is best known for his work on smallpox, which led to the development of the smallpox vaccine

  
• Schaffer and Emerson's 1964 study on attachment aimed to identify stages of attachment and find a pattern in the development of an attachment between infants and parents
• Participants in the study were 60 babies from Glasgow, and the procedure involved analyzing interactions between infants and carers
• Findings showed that babies of parents/carers with 'sensitive responsiveness' were more likely to have formed an attachment
• In medieval England (c1250–c1500), ideas about the causes of disease and illness included religious explanations, astrology, supernatural explanations, and rational explanations based on the Theory of the Four Humours
• The Theory of the Four Humours, based on ideas from the Ancient world, believed in balancing four humours in the body to maintain health
• Galen developed the Theory of the Four Humours further with the Theory of Opposites, aiming to balance the humours by giving the patient the 'opposite' of their symptoms
• Miasma, bad air believed to be filled with harmful fumes, was another explanation for disease in medieval times
• Medieval physicians carefully examined urine to make diagnoses, believing it was one of the best ways to check on the balance of humours inside the body
• Factors influencing ideas about the causes of disease included the Church, science and technology, attitudes in society, important individuals like Galen and Hippocrates, and the government's lack of investment in medicine
• Galen developed the Theory of the Four Humours further with the Theory of Opposites, aiming to balance the humours by giving the patient the 'opposite' of their symptoms
• In medieval England (c1250–c1500), approaches to treatment and prevention included religious treatments, supernatural treatments, and humoral treatments based on balancing the humours in the body
• Blood-letting (phlebotomy) was a common treatment for an imbalance in the humours, believed to remove bad humours from the body
• Purging the digestive system was a common treatment to remove any leftover food believed to cause imbalances in the humours
• Remedies in medieval times included herbal infusions, aloe vera for digestion, and Theriaca, a spice-based mixture containing up to 70 ingredients
• Preventing disease in medieval times involved practices like regular praying, confessing, paying tithes to the Church, following specific diets, maintaining hygiene, and purifying the air with sweet herbs
• Most people in the Middle Ages were treated at home by female family members, while physicians diagnosed illness and recommended treatments, leaving the actual treatment to midwives, apothecaries, or barber surgeons
• The history of medicine quilt is divided into five sections: Ancient Medicine, Medieval Medicine, Renaissance Medicine, Industrial Age, and Modern Age, each with a timeline of key people, medical theories, factors, treatments, and healers

  
• In the Middle Ages, the King's government did not prioritize improving medicine, ordering towns to be cleaned irregularly and lacking funds for medical breakthroughs
• The Church was extremely rich and powerful, controlling education and supporting the ideas of Galen, leading to little change in medical thinking between 1250-1500
• Education in the Middle Ages was controlled by the Church, with physicians trained at universities reading the works of Hippocrates and Galen, discouraging experimentation and critical thinking
• Most people in the Middle Ages had great respect for traditional ideas, making it hard for new medical ideas to spread due to a conservative attitude
• Individuals like Hippocrates and Galen were key figures in the Middle Ages, with Galen emphasizing the importance of dissecting dead bodies to understand anatomy and how the body works
• The Black Death hit Britain in 1348, spreading quickly and killing thousands, regardless of social status or location
• Causes of the Black Death included impure air (miasma), filth in the streets, and religious beliefs attributing it to God's punishment and sin
• Treatments for the Black Death included bleeding/purging, strong-smelling herbs, bursting buboes, and running away from impure air
• Local authorities during the Black Death attempted to prevent its spread through quarantine laws, house quarantines, and cleaning streets to drive off miasma causing the plague
• The Church, education controlled by the Church, respect for tradition, lack of individual breakthroughs, and government priorities inhibited medical change between 1250-1500
• The quilt depicting the history of medicine through time is divided into five sections: Ancient Medicine, Medieval Medicine, Renaissance Medicine, Industrial Age, and Modern Age

  
• In the Medical Renaissance in England (1500-1700), there was a shift in ideas about the causes of disease and illness, with a move towards a more scientific approach
• During the Renaissance period, Andreas Vesalius made significant contributions to medicine, challenging Galen's theories through his anatomical discoveries and dissections
• Changes in approaches to prevention and treatment (1500-1700) included the introduction of new herbs, chemical cures, and the publication of manuals of remedies like the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis
• In caring for the sick during the Renaissance period, hospitals began to change, offering better services and treatments, with a focus on good diet and pharmacy services
• The quilt showing the history of medicine through time is divided into five sections: Ancient Medicine, Medieval Medicine, Renaissance Medicine, Industrial Age, and Modern Age, each with a timeline of key people, medical theories, factors, treatments, and healers

  
• Vesalius' impact:

  • Encouraged other doctors to base their work on dissection
  • Dissections were vital for investigating the anatomy of the body in more detail
  • Included pictures to present the ideal version of the human body
  • Made the study of anatomy fashionable
  • Laid the foundations for future discoveries like Harvey
• Vesalius' impact led to anatomy becoming central in medicine, doctors being encouraged to carry out dissections, his work being heavily copied, and inspiring others, despite causing controversies by challenging Galen's ideas
• William Harvey's impact:

  • Made one of the most important breakthroughs in medical history by discovering blood circulation
  • Had a keen interest in dissection and observing the human body
  • Born in 1578, studied medicine at Cambridge
  • His work was heavily copied and appeared in other medical texts
  • His discovery that blood circulates around the body laid the foundation for modern physiology
• Harvey's discovery that blood circulates around the body was made possible by:

  • Vesalius proving some of Galen's work wrong
  • Being employed by Charles I, giving him credibility
  • Using modern scientific methods, carrying out experiments, and observing results
  • More interest in science and rational explanations for the human body in society
• The Great Plague in London, 1665:

  • Arrived from June-November 1665, causing around 20% of Londoners to die
  • Spread by fleas on rats
  • Causes included astrology, punishment from God, miasma, and person-to-person spread
  • Methods to prevent and treat included quarantine, special clothing, herbal remedies, and burning fires to remove miasma
• Edward Jenner's work on smallpox:

  • Jenner gathered evidence of 1000 cases where smallpox inoculation had failed
  • Treated dairy maids for cowpox during a smallpox epidemic, noticing those with cowpox did not get smallpox
  • In 1796, Jenner treated a boy with cowpox, who later didn't catch smallpox
  • In 1798, he named the technique 'vaccination' and detailed instructions for others to use