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• Renaissance


  Period of European history from the 14th to the 17th century, associated with the rediscovery of classical culture
• Publication of nearly 600 editions of Galen's work occurred in the 16th century
• Renaissance atmosphere

  Encouraged the pursuit of scientific explanations for why people became ill
• During the 17th century, people were open to more experimental techniques
• Humanism


  Helped individuals to distance themselves from religious explanations
• People began to focus on logical causes for illness
• Thomas Sydenham


  • Plants and animals inspired him
  • He believed that, if other living beings were grouped based on their characteristics, then so could diseases
• Sydenham's theories


  1. A patient's symptoms indicated the disease they had

  2. Symptoms of the disease did not depend on the patient

  3. Every patient should receive the same remedy

  4. Physicians should write down the patient's symptoms to identify their disease

  5. Physician will then make a treatment plan
• Sydenham discovered that, what was once considered to be one disease, was multiple separate diseases
• Sydenham noted that the symptoms of scarlet fever and measles had different symptoms
• Sydenham's methods and ideas revolutionised the approach to disease diagnosis and treatment
• Sydenham's methods laid the foundations for diagnosis of disease and patient care for centuries to come
• Sydenham believed the disease dictated the symptoms, unlike the Theory of the Four Humours which argued that the person dictated the symptoms
• Sydenham's methods collected the symptoms together to allow identification and treatment of the disease, unlike the Four Humours which advised treating each symptom separately
• Printing press


  • Invented by Johannes Gutenberg in c.1440
  • Required little training to operate
  • Blocks of texts and images called woodcuts were covered in ink and arranged under a piece of paper
  • The printing press lever was then lowered and which applied pressure
  • The inked woodcut would then print the text and image onto the paper
• The Church could no longer control the publication of books as it did in medieval times when all books were handwritten by monks
• Scientists could publish and share their work much more easily
• Royal Society


  • An organisation that allowed scientists from across Europe to share discoveries and discuss new ideas
  • Supported by King Charles II in 1662 which gave the organisation power and influence
• In 1665, the Royal Society released a journal called Philosophical Transactions to share their ideas
• Philosophical Transactions was the first scientific journal in the world and is still published today