Factors of Change

• Factors for change in medicine

  • Individual genius
  • Science and Technology
  • War
  • Religion
  • Governments
  • Chance and luck
• Rate of progress graph

  1. axis shows the rate of progress from medieval to present, X-axis shows main periods studied: medieval, Renaissance, industrial, modern from 1900 onwards
• Medieval period

  • Role of individual genius was continuity with Hippocrates and Galen as foundation
  • Science and Technology had little new progress due to church restrictions
  • War caused disease rather than accelerating medical developments
  • Religion played a huge role with God as the explanation for disease
  • Government had limited reactions to catastrophes
  • Chance and luck had no relevant examples
• Medieval period had little progress, mainly continuity with some improvement in hospitals and preservation of ancient medical ideas
• Renaissance period

  • Individual genius became more important with figures like Vesalius, Sydenham, and William Harvey making advancements
  • Science and Technology saw progress with the printing press making information more accessible, human dissection becoming possible, and experimentation increasing
  • Water pumps and other technologies were also inspir
• Renaissance period saw advancements in anatomy, diagnosis, blood circulation, and technology like the printing press making information more accessible
• Water pumps

  Inspired Harvey's idea about circulation of the blood
• Religion was still very significant but the grip of the church on new ideas was starting to slip, especially with the start of the Reformation
• Government

  Not as important as it is later on, more reactions to catastrophes like the Black Death in 1665, attempts to keep cities clean and combat miasma, support for new ideas like local magistrates helping Vesalius and Charles II supporting the Royal Society
• There was more progress in the Renaissance period than in the medieval period
• Line of progress increased at a faster rate in the Renaissance period
• Industrial Revolution period from roughly 1700 to 1900
• Industrial factors for change


  • Significant individuals like Jenner, Jon Snow, Edwin Chadwick, Joseph Bazalgette, Simpson, Lister, Liston, Pasteur, Robert Koch, Florence Nightingale
  • Science and Technology advancements
  • Development of vaccines
  • Effective Public Health measures
  • Development of anesthetics and antiseptics
  • War's role
  • Religion's decreasing significance
  • Government's increasing importance
  • Laissez-faire politics
  • Reforms like Baseljet sewers, Public Health Acts, Sanitary Act, Artisans Dwellings Act
  • Role of chance and luck
• Crimean War allowed Nightingale to improve nursing
• Government initially resistant to change, known as laissez-faire politics, later increasing reforms and support for public health measures
• Rapid progress seen in the Industrial Revolution period
• Modern period from 1900 to the present day
• Modern factors for change

  • Individual genius like Alexander Fleming, Florian Chain
  • Development of penicillin
• Modern factors for change

  • Individual genius
  • Science and Technology
  • War
  • Religion
  • Government
  • Chance and luck
• Individual geniuses

  • Alexander Fleming
  • Florian Chain
  • Domac
• Science and Technology contributions

  • Creation of new medicines
  • Search for Magic Bullets
  • Mass production of penicillin and other medicines
  • New surgical techniques
  • Discovery of DNA
  • Radiotherapy
  • Chemotherapy
  • X-rays
  • Transplant surgery
  • MRI scans
  • CT scans
  • Endoscopes
• Impact of World War One

  On things like x-rays, blood transfusions, surgeries, and more
• Impact of World War II

  On surgery and ramping up penicillin production
• Impact of World War II

  Beveridge report started off the welfare state and established the NHS
• Government actions

  • Liberal reforms in the early 20th century providing School meals, old age pensions, the National Insurance Act of 1911, and more
  • Increasing slum clearance support for penicillin before and after the second world war
  • Creation of the NHS in 1948
  • Health and lifestyle awareness campaigns
• Chance and luck


  Fleming's discovery of penicillin, where a spore of penicillin mold landed in exactly the right place by chance
• Progress in medicine has not always been consistent
• Significant periods of continuity and change in medicine
• Factors affecting change and progress in medicine
• Trend of progress in medicine
• Medical progress accelerates over time