Med 1500-1700

• 1500-1700 was the

  Renaissance period
• Continuity: causes

  The four humours

  astrology

  Religion

  miasma
• Change: causes

  The four humours: Thomas Sydenham rejected the theories

  Supernatural: fewer believed

  New scientific thinking: Thomas Sydenham promoted direct observation to establish the cause of disease
• importance of the Royal Society 1660

  Founded in Gresham college in London

  in 1662 Charles II gave them a royal charter so it was supported and funded by the king.

  Carried out scientific experiments and encouraged debate and challenged old ideas
• Royal society key scientific developments:

  1665: first scientific journal “philosophical transactions”

  1665: Robert Hooke used a microscope to study small animals

  1665: Richard Lower completes the first ever blood transfusion

  1683: Anthonie van leeuwenhoek saw animalcules the first bacteria under a microscope
• Importance of Thomas Sydenham's work

  Called “English Hippocrates”

  1676: published ‘observations mediae‘

  book used for 200 years as medical training

  Classified diseases into species eg. Measles and scarlet fever

  Sydenham used quinine to treat malaria and iron to treat anaemia
• Significance of the printing press

  1440 johnnes Gutenberg a german inventor created the printing press

  this meant that medical books could be circulated worldwide and medical knowledge improved
• The four humours: continuity in treatments

  Bleeding and purging are still Used

  charles II was bled and purged
• Religious treatments: continuity 


  still prayed to god

  during the great plague 1665 people prayed for recovery

  people believed the kings touch would heal them because he is the closest to god, believed it would cure the skin disease scrofula
• Supernatural treatments:continuity 


  Magic charms to treat great plague

  to cure malaria people still cut off their hair
• Herbal treatments: continuity 


  Onion, wine and honey were still used to treat illness
• Chemical cures: change

  Alchemy or medical chemistry became a new treatment inspired by paracelus

  the college of physicians suggested 122 chemicals to treat illness

  mercury was used to treat smallpox

  antimony was used to purge illness
• Transference: change


  If you rubbed an object like an onion on to warts the theory was the wart would transfer to the onion
• Herbal treatments: Change 


  Remedies to match the colour of the illness E.g drinking red wine to cure small pox

  exploration of the new world meant new herbs were brought back to Britain e.g quinine to treat malaria
• Regimen sanitis:


  Keeping clean and eating a healthy diet

  Change: less people bathed in bath houses due to spread of syphillis
• Miasma: 


  sweet smelling herbs to drive away miasma

  Change: more effort was made to remove miasma from the air by draining bogs and cleaning rubbish from the streets
• Supernatural: 


  Prayer and magic charms were still popular

  change: The idea of moderation avoiding fatty foods or drinking too much alcohol
• What does the term "Renaissance" mean?

  "Re-birth"
• What was a key characteristic of the Renaissance period?

  Renewed interest in learning and challenging ideas
• How did society change during the Renaissance?

  It became more secular, seeking scientific explanations
• What significant event took place during the Renaissance in England?

  The Reformation led by Henry VIII
• What was the impact of Henry VIII's actions on the Church's power?

  It led to a decline in the Church's power
• What did most people recognize about God and disease during the Renaissance?

  God did not send disease as punishment
• What was the Great Plague of 1665?

  An epidemic that caused widespread fear
• What was the rise of Humanism during the Renaissance?

  A belief in human reasoning over religious explanations
• What did people still believe about astrology during the Renaissance?

  It influenced disease occurrences
• What caused the belief in miasma during the Renaissance?

  Rotting food and dirty environments
• What was the Four Humours theory?

  Illness caused by an imbalance of humours
• Who was Antony von Leeuwenhoek?

  A scientist who observed "animalcules"
• What did Girolamo Fracastoro theorize about disease?

  It was caused by seeds spread in the air
• What was Thomas Sydenham's approach to medicine?

  Close observation of patients and symptoms
• What did Sydenham's book Observationes Medicae discuss?

  External causes of illness, not internal factors
• What did Sydenham correctly identify about measles and scarlet fever?

  They were separate diseases
• How did the printing press impact the sharing of medical ideas?

  Allowed quicker dissemination of new ideas
• What was the Royal Society?

  An influential group of scientists formed in 1660
• What journal did the Royal Society publish?

  Philosophical Transactions
• Why did the Royal Society gain credibility?

  It was supported by Charles II
• What were the main approaches to treatment during the Renaissance?

  • Transference: transferring disease to another object
  • Herbal remedies: based on color/shape
  • Chemical cures: new remedies from alchemy
  • Hospitals: emphasis on curing patients
  • Apothecaries, physicians, and surgeons: licensed practitioners
• What was the theory of Transference?

  Disease could be transferred to another object
• How were herbal remedies chosen during the Renaissance?

  Based on their color or shape