Medicine in Britain, c.1250 to the present day

• The thematic study of Medicine in Britain, c.1250-present spans almost 1,000 years
• Understanding the period's chronology and knowing some key themes is essential to understanding patterns of change and continuity
• These patterns and factors that contributed to medical progress over time can each be observed and analysed
• Historical periods for the thematic study of the history of medicine


  • Medieval England, c.1250-c.1500
  • Renaissance England, c.1500-c.1700
  • The Industrial Revolution, c.1700-c.1900
  • Modern Britain, c.1900-present
• Chronology


  The order of events
• The sequence of time and key events are important for understanding change and continuity
• Century


  A period of 100 years
• Decade


  A period of 10 years
• Change


  Something is different from what it was before
• Continuity


  Something is the same as what it was before
• Progress


  Positive change or improvement, things get better
• Regression


  Negative change, things get worse
• Rate of change


  The speed at which change takes place (e.g. slow, fast, rapid or stagnant)
• Turning point


  A point at which significant change happens
• Factors that have affected the history of medicine

  • The Church
  • Government
  • Individuals
  • Science and technology
  • Attitudes in society
• Prevention


  The action of trying to stop something from happening - in the case of medicine, we refer to the prevention of disease
• Treatment


  An action that remedies or improves something that has happened - in the case of medicine, we refer to the treatment of symptoms
• Medicine in Britain, c.1250-present

  • Spans almost 1,000 years
  • Understanding the period's chronology is essential
  • Knowing some key themes is essential
  • Patterns of change and continuity can be observed and analysed
  • Factors that contributed to medical progress over time can be analysed
• Change and continuity


  • Trends - the general direction in which something is changing or developing
  • Turning points - decisive moments at which a change occurs
• Patterns of change and continuity in the history of medicine


  1. Medieval England

  2. Early Modern England

  3. Industrial Revolution

  4. Modern Britain
• Medieval England


  • The Church was highly influential and remained very powerful until after the Reformation
  • The Church was central to people's everyday lives, influenced their beliefs, and controlled learning and education
• Early Modern England


  • Period of re-examination of classical and medieval ideas
  • The Church's teachings were challenged and questioned
  • Interest in science and technology grew, leading to progress in the understanding of the human body
  • Many ideas about the causes of disease and illness continued from medieval England, affecting prevention and treatment
• Industrial Revolution


  • Rapid progress in the understanding of the causes of disease and illness after Louis Pasteur published his germ theory in 1861
  • This led to better understanding of how diseases spread, and progress in prevention, treatment, surgery and public health
• Modern Britain


  • Rapid improvements in technology led to progress in diagnosis and treatment of disease
  • The discovery of DNA in 1953 was a turning point in the understanding of genetic disease
  • The role of government has further adapted alongside new scientific understanding
  • The British government now funds medical treatment and research, encourages mass vaccination, and disseminates vital information to help the British people prevent disease and illness