Vesalius and Sydenham

• Vesalius and Sydenham


  Vesalius and Sydenham believed that direct observation was the best way to learn about the body. They encouraged people to gain practical experience, and to use dissection to understand anatomy
• Vesalius


  A medical professor in Padua, Italy who wrote anatomy books with accurate diagrams
• Vesalius was born


  1514
• Vesalius believed that successful surgery would only be possible if doctors had a proper understanding of human anatomy
• Vesalius' anatomy studies


  1. Performed dissections on criminals who had been executed

  2. Wrote books based on his observations using accurate diagrams

  3. His works were printed and copied, allowing lots of people to read about his ideas
• Vesalius' books


  'Sin Anatomical Pictures' (1538) and 'The Fabric of the Human Body' (1543)
• Vesalius' work


  Helped point out some of Galen's mistakes, such as showing there were no holes in the septum of the heart
• Vesalius' findings encouraged others to question Galen
• Doctors realised there was more to discover about the body because of Vesalius' questioning attitude
• Vesalius showed that dissecting bodies was important, to find out exactly how the human body was structured
• Dissection was used more and more in medical training because of Vesalius' work
• Comment and Analysis


  The work of Vesalius didn't have an immediate impact on the diagnosis or treatment of disease. However, by producing a realistic description of the human anatomy and encouraging dissection, Vesalius provided an essential first step to improving them
• Thomas Sydenham


  Renaissance physician who worked in London
• Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689) was the son of a country squire, and fought in the English Civil War before becoming a doctor
• Thomas Sydenham


  Has been called the 'English Hippocrates' because of the big impact of his medical achievements
• Sydenham's approach


  Didn't believe in the value of theoretical knowledge, thought it was more important to gain practical experience in treating patients
• Sydenham's medical practice


  1. Made detailed observations of his patients

  2. Kept accurate records of their symptoms
• Sydenham's view on diseases

  Diseases could be classified like animals or plants - the different types of disease could be discovered using patients' symptoms
• Sydenham's medical achievements


  • Showed that scarlet fever was different to measles
  • Introduced laudanum to relieve pain
  • Used iron to treat anaemia
  • Used quinine for malaria
• Sydenham wrote a book called 'Medical Observations' (published in 1676), which was used as a textbook by doctors for 200 years
• Sydenham's descriptions of medical conditions like gout helped other doctors to diagnose their patients more easily
• Comment and Analysis


  Sydenham's work on classifying disease helped make diagnosis a more important part of a doctors' work. Before, the emphasis had been on prognosis - predicting what the disease would do next