Meaning 'rebirth', it was time of great artistic and scientific progress.
When was Renaissance?
around 1400 - 1600
What were some of the main developments during the Renaissance?
Gunpowder was discovered which made wars and battles more bloody and led to new types of wounds.
The idea of humanism was developed. This is the belief that high levels of human potential could be achieved through education.
Global exploration led to the discovery of new lands and cultures, and therefore new medicines.
What changed in medicine during the Renaissance?
The Theory of the Four Humours fell out of favour with physicians as they began to understand that disease was something separate from the body, not caused by a person's humours being out of balance.
A much greater understanding of anatomy developed. Doctors were able to carry out more human dissections as the power of the Church declined, which meant they could correct assumptions and mistakes made by Galen and others.
More changes during the Renaissance
Physicians no longer diagnosed patients from urine samples, and astrology also became less popular among medical professionals.
Physicians came to rely more on their own observations, studies, and procedures such as dissections. They no longer relied on obtaining knowledge from books written by Galen and other doctors, although these were still used to research symptoms.
Most of the medical advances were in the field of anatomical study, not treatment or prevention.
In what ways did medicine not develop during the Renaissance?
Ordinary people still held the same beliefs as their medieval ancestors about what caused illness. The Church remained a powerful force among the poor, so many still believed sickness was a punishment from God.
Ordinary people continued to rely on the same treatments for disease as their medieval ancestors, including the need to balance the four humours, and the part played by religion.
Miasma theory remained
How did medical training improve during the Renaissance?
Although physicians continued to learn from books, they were taught some new ideas about anatomy and chemistry.
Surgeons had to obtain a licence and were now allowed to perform dissections.
Apothecaries were also now licensed to trade, and had more ingredients and recipes from around the world.
What was the printing press?
The printing press is a machine used to reproduce writing and images. It uses ink on paper to make many identical copies.
When was the printing press invented?
The first printing press was created around 1440, through early experiments in printing. A commercial machine was available by 1450.
Who invented the printing press?
Johannes Gutenberg, a German goldsmith,
What was the significance of the printing press?
New ideas and medical knowledge could be spread more quickly due to the invention of the printing press.
Why was the printing press important for medicine?
Publishing lots of copies of a theory meant many people had the chance to understand a theory in detail, and either object to or agree with it.
Medical students were able to use books and manuals to help them learn.
Books no longer had to be copied out by hand in monasteries, or only produced in Latin. It meant scientists could share informationeasily with each other.
Control over what was published, and therefore which ideas influenced society, was no longer in the hands of the Church.
Did treatments in the Renaissance improve?
Diagnosis and treatment had not advanced much since the Middle Ages. Just as before, physicians did not know or understand what caused diseases or how to cure them.
In what ways were Renaissance treatments similar to previous periods?
People were still superstitious
Doctors still hadn't understood the link between dirt and disease.
There was continuity in ideas about what caused disease: for example, miasma.
Herbal remedies remained popular.
Bloodletting was still used as a treatment.
How did treatment change during the Renaissance?
Galen no longer dominated scientific thought, as doctors began to challenge his ideas.
Technology was gradually advancing so that new inventions, like the microscope, helped make more discoveries.
Alchemy became popular, as people began to look at using chemicals for cures
The Theory of Transference became popular.
What were the methods of preventing disease during the Renaissance?
religion, purifying the air, fasting, remedies from apothecaries, some government public health actions, and equipment for doctor
How did people believe religion prevented illness during the Renaissance?
People were advised to pray to God and repent their sins.
How did people prevent miasma during the Renaissance?
People were advised to purify the air by carrying a pomander. This was a ball of sweet smelling herbs.
How was diet used to prevent illness during the Renaissance?
Fasting was advised, as well as garlic-heavy diets.
What did apothecaries do to prevent illness during the Renaissance?
Apothecaries provided herbal remedies such as chewing dry tobacco to ward off the miasma.
How did the government try to prevent illness during the Renaissance?
The government played a much bigger role in public health, through quarantine laws and street cleaning.
How did plague doctors try to prevent illness during the Renaissance?
Plague doctors wore special beak-shapedmasks, and coated their coats in wax so that blood and pus did not stick to it.
What is the Royal Society?
The Royal Society was an English institution the purpose of which was to promote and support scientific research. Its members were a group of influential scientists, and it was created with the approval of King Charles II.
When was the Royal Society created?
The Royal Society was created in November1660, and still exists today.
What was the purpose of the Royal Society?
The purpose of the Royal Society was to promote scientific understanding by sharing knowledge.
How did the Royal Society spread its ideas?
The Royal Society published a journal called 'Philosophical Transactions'. It contained experiments and research from scientists.
Who was Vesalius?
Andreas Vesalius was a Belgian physician
How did Vesalius make new discoveries?
Vesalius made many discoveries through dissection and by recording his discoveries in anatomical drawings. He stole bodies from cemeteries and gallows to dissect them, as well as dissecting the corpses of criminals.
What did Vesalius discover?
He identified approximately 300 mistakes in Galen's work, including that
The human jawbone is formed from a single part, not two.
Women do not have one more pair of ribs than men do.
The human breast bone does not have 7 parts; it has 3 parts.
Why was Vesalius controversial?
Vesalius used dissections to show how Galen's understanding of the human body was incorrect. This subsequently lost Vesalius his job at the university.
What was Vesalius's famous book?
Vesalius is most famous because of his book 'On the Fabric of the Human Body' which was published in 1543. The drawings of human anatomy in the book were exceptionally detailed.
Why was Vesalius significant?
His work encouraged other doctors to question the old medical books and to learn through first-hand experience by performing dissections.
His studies of the circulatory system were an important contribution to the understanding that the heart acts as a pump.
The illustrations in 'On the Fabric of the Human Body' were copied and inserted into other books.
Others were able to develop his work into the human anatomy further, because he provided the detailed ground work.
Who was William Harvey?
William Harvey was an English doctor who studied medicine at university in Cambridge and Padua.
How did Harvey challenge the work of Galen?
He challenged Galen's understanding that blood was made in the liver and that it was used as fuel. Harvey believed blood circulated around the body. This marked the beginning of the end of Galen's superiority.
How did Harvey explain blood circulation?
Harvey demonstrated how the heart was a pump for moving blood around the body. He used valves from a dissected heart to demonstrate that blood could only flow in one direction.
What were the limitations of Harvey's understanding of blood circulation?
He did not understand why blood needed to circulate around the body.
He did not know why blood in the arteries was different from blood in the veins.
Why did Harvey face resistance from other doctors?
Blood transfusions to combat blood loss were now attempted, as Harvey's work demonstrated that this was essential. These attempts failed because there was a lack of understanding of blood groups.
people were reluctant to accept alternative information.
As Harvey did not know why blood needed to circulate, or why the blood in arteries and veins was different, some other doctors rejected his ideas.
What was the significance of Harvey's work?
His theory of circulation was the first step towards bloodtransfusions becoming possible, and therefore saving lives. He was also one of the first to question Galen. However, his impact at the time was small.
Which factors contributed to Harvey's discovery?
As an individual, Harvey was skilled, and was employed by Charles I. This gave him credibility and popularity.
Institutions such as the Church were declining in popularity and influence, which meant that more people were challenging Galen's work.
Harvey was inspired by new technology, such as the mechanical water pump.
Attitudes in society were changing. People were seeking scientific explanations during the Renaissance.
How did people react to Harvey's discovery?
Some criticised Harvey and said that he was mad to suggest that blood circulated in the body.
His ideas went against Galen, and some doctors refused to support him as a result.
French anatomist Jean Riolan called Harvey a 'circulator', which meant that he was a 'quack'.
Although some opposed him, his theory was accepted by many during his life.