renaissance 16th+17th

• Gradually during the renaissance less people believed in supernatural or religions explanations.
• why did less people believe in supernatural explanations in the renaissance

  because the church had less influence
• The theory of miasma was still very popular
• The theory of the four humours continued to be accepted but by the 1700s few physicians believed in it
• during the renaissance a new scientific approach was invented, this was influenced by people like Sydenham
• the new scientific approach included carrying out more observations of the patient, the stop to astrology charts and physicians didn't rely on urine for diagnosis
• Sydenham was a doctor in London during the 1660s and 70s, he wrote a book called Observationes Medicae
• when did Observationes Medicae come out

  1676
• what was included in Observationes Medicae

  • Sydenham approach of not relying on medical books but rather observing patients and their symptoms
  • He based treatment on the disease as a whole not on individual symptoms
  • He thought the disease had nothing to do with the person who had it, this was a new idea
• when was the printing press invented 


  1440
• what was the influence on the printing press

  • exact copied of texts could be copied in a short amount of time
  • The church lost control of ideas because doctors didn't need monks to copy their work, so the church couldn't prevent publication of ideas they didn't like
  • Books could be transferred quicker, more could be shared between doctors
• what was the Royal Society 


  an association that aimed for further scientific understanding by experimenting and sharing knowledge. It sponsored scientists to enable them to carry out research
• when was the Royal Society set up

  1660
• What did the Royal Society do

  It published a scientific journal called Philosophical Transactions, where scientists shared their work and ideas
• What was the significance of the Royal Society

  Doctors and scientists could study, challenge and build upon others work, this way theories could be confirmed true or false quicker. Thus the spread of findings could be faster
• by 1500 hospitals were treating more sick people rather than travellers, most had their own apothecary and physicians frequently visited patients
• in 1536, however the dissolutions of monasteries cause most hospitals to close
• More pest houses started to appear which were hospitals for specific contagious diseases
• When hospitals did re- appear they focused more on treating with physicians the sick rather than by religion
• what were the changes in prevention and treatment (renaissance)

  • people regularly changed their clothes rather than bathing
  • new herbal remedies
  • theory of transference
  • alchemy cause chemical cures using metals or minerals to become popular
  • removing miasma by draining swamps, removing rubbish and sewage
• why did the new knowledge have a limited impact at Renaissance times?

  because ideas were slow to be accepted, had no direct use in improving treatment or preventing disease and no improvement with understanding of the cause of disease
• continuity in apothecaries and surgeons

  still not given university training and still considered inferior to physicians, cheaper
• continuity in physicians

  trained at universities were training lasted many years, they still trained by learning from textbooks rathe than practical experience
• change in apothecaries and surgeons

  a license was now needed to work and these were only given after completing training. Better trained by guild systems.
• change in Physicians

  better access to a variety of medical books and detailed drawings. Dissection become legal but took time to be accepted. New ideas about anatomy and explanations caused physicians to be more practical and experimental
• what was the importance of Vesalius

  • improved the understanding of the human body
  • proved that some of Galen theories were wrong, leading to more people questioning Galen
  • He encouraged other medicals professionals to carry out dissections to make further discoveries
  • anatomy became central to the study of medicine
• when did Fabrica come out and what did it entail(Vesalius)

  came out in 1543 and included detailed drawing of the human body, his work was widely published around England and Europe
• when was the great plague

  1665
• believed causes of the great plague

  miasma was the most common, fewer people believed in the Four humours. People understood that disease spread from person to person
• treatment for the great plague

  Most people quarantined. Use of herbal remedies mixed at home or by apothecaries
• new treatments for the great plague

  theory of transference, and the belief that people could sweat the disease out
• prevention of the great plague

  • theatres were closed and large gatherings were banned
  • cats and dogs were killed
  • barrels of tar were burned on the streets
  • an entire household would be barricaded in its home for 28 days
  • days of fasting and public prayers
  • carts which collected the dead and brought them to mass graves
• what did Harvey discover

  circulation of the blood,
• Harvey researched on Vesalius theory by dissecting bodies and pumps which showed that the blood only flowed one way, he contradicted Galen
• how did Harvey discover the circulation of blood

  he was influenced by new technology such as mechanical water pumps which made him think the human body worked the same way
• What was the importance of Harvey

  • Proved Galen wrong
  • improved knowledge on the human body, by 1700 his work were taught in medical schools
  • He was a royal physician, gaining him credibility and inspired others to discover more
  • his observation and use of dissections had brought results, so many people copied it.