dealing with disease

• The Renaissance had brought some new treatments but most people still had to rely on doctors who had little or no training such as quacks (dishonest medical practitioners) and barber surgeons. 
•  

  Traditional approaches


  • Religious, such as praying for forgiveness, pilgrimage and giving money to the Church
  • Wise women, who used herbs and charms
  • Herbal remedies
  • Astrology
  • Quackery
•  

  New approaches


  • Growing number of hospitals, which started to treat the sick rather than just providing hospitality
  • Many towns had a pharmacy
  • New herbs and ingredients from around the world
  • Books on medicine for treating the family at home
  • Scientific approaches
• King’s Evil and the Royal Touch: It was believed that the touch of a royal (especially the King) could cure the skin disease scrofula which was known as ‘King’s Evil’.
• Microscopes began to be developed during the Renaissance. In 1665 the book Micrographia by Robert Hooke showed detailed images from magnified images for the first time and by 1683 microscopes were made more powerful by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.
• The Printing Press:


  • In the 1430s, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press.
  • This was significant as people no longer had to rely on the church to copy out and distribute information. The church would refuse to distribute anything that did not align with the teachings of Galen.
  • The printing press meant that individuals could do their own research and distribute it across Europe leading to an increase in shared ideas and a development of medical knowledge. 
• Quackery


  • Quackery (dishonest medical practise) had always happened but in the 17th and 18th centuries there was a huge increase. During the Great Plague of 1665 quack doctors were widespread. 
  • Quacks sold their own medicines, which they said would prevent or cure disease, knowing they would have no effect. Most were travelling salesmen who moved on before people realised.
  • Quack medicines were often a combination of alcohol and opium, which sometimes gave patients the impression that they were getting better, but made no difference at all. 
• Thomas Sydenham


  'English Hippocrates' only treat patients if necessary, observe illness
• Thomas Germinus and William Clowes


  Brought renaissance ideas to England and translated Vesalius.
• Quack Doctors


  Untrained, selling made up cures to the poor.
• Treatments


  • New ingredients from world exploration e.g tobacco and opiates
  • Mainly bleeding and purging
  • Not much improvement
  • Burton: exercise, music and laughter cures 1621
  • Floyer: clean air and diet for asthma
• John Hunter (1728-93)


  • Leaving deep wounds as much as possible to nature
  • Dissected lots of bodies and worked as military surgeon in the seven years was
  • trained edward jenner
  • 'Father of Scientific Surgery'
• There was not much physical improvement in sugery