Renaissance Medicine (1500-1700) Flashcards
What does ‘Medical Renaissance’ refer to?
Renaissance is a French word meaning ‘Rebirth’. The Medical Renaissance refers to a period of time where new ideas were beginning to influence medicine
Give 4 changes in the ideas of medicine from the medieval era
The Theory of the Four Humours can’t be used to explain certain diseases and illnesses
People are more curious about the world, there were lots of new ideas about causes of disease and illness
Many scientists and great thinkers wanted to better understand the world around them
People are rejecting old knowledge
There was a much better understanding of anatomy
Physicians now understood that urine was not directly related to a person’s health
Give 2 ideas that stayed the same from the medieval era
They still relied on remedies and cures from early time
They still believed miasma caused disease
The practice of medicine remained the same, despite the ideas about medicine changing
What happened to the Church during the renaissance, how did this affect their power?
During renaissance, the church (Christian) split into fragments.
A split church could no longer block new thinking, huge loss of Church’s power.
This was the start of the reformation, a break in the Catholic Church and now many identifying as Protestant - still Christian, they just practice differently.
What was the Kings Evil and how was it cured?
The Kings Evil is a tuberculous swelling of the lymph glands.
It was believed to be cured by the touch of the King or Queen
What was bleeding?
Bleeding was removing blood from a patient to balance the humours. This process actually made the patient weaker.
What was miasma, how did people try to combat it?
Miasma was bad smells from rotting material
People took more steps to remove miasma
Homeowners were fined for not cleaning the streets outside their house
What was alchemy?
Alchemy was a type of chemistry that dealt with trying to find a way to change ordinary metals into gold, and trying to find a medicine that would cure any disease
What was believed to cure a stye?
People believed that a stye could be cured by rubbing it with the tail of a black cat
What were the two treatments for malaria?
Take hair and nails of a patient. Cut them small and give them to birds in a roasted egg/put them in a hole in an oak tree, bury it.
Quinine is the other treatment. It comes from the bark of a tree in South America. It was formed due to case symptoms of malaria and was used until 1940s.
What was transference?
Transference was the idea of rubbing an object on an infected area, for example a bubo. The idea was that the disease would transfer to the object.
What was humanism?
Humanism was a love of learning and a belief that humans could make up their own minds with regars to the truth of the world around them
Give one reason why ideas changed in the Renaissance period
Changes in the approach of artists: Instead of just copying or relying on memory, artists began to: Observe, record and change. Doctors could learn from what they found.
The power of the Church: During renaissance, the church (Christian) split into fragments. A split church could no longer block new thinking, huge loss of Church’s power.
This was the start of the reformation, a break in the Catholic Church and now many identifying as Protestant - still Christian, they just practice differently.
Scientists like Galileo dared to challenge the church and traditional thinking.
The Regimen Sanitatis was still followed. What was the Regimen Sanitatis?
The Regimen Sanitatis was a loose set of instructions on how to maintain good health.
By 1700, very few physicians believed in what?
Very few physicians believed the Theory of the Four Humours by 1700.
In times of epidemics, what did people still wear? Why did they were them?
Although astrology was less popular from 1500, in times of epidemics, people still wore charms and amulets to ward off disease.
What did the theory William Harvey published in 1628 say?
The theory said that blood circulated around the body as opposed to being produced in the liver
Thomas Sydenham published Observationes Medicae in 1676. What did this theorise?
Observationes Medicae theorised that illness was caused by external facotrs, as opposed to the four humours
By 1683, more powerful microscopes were being developed. What did this allow for?
This allowed little animals or ‘animalcules’ to be observed.
Although not very clear, this was the first recorded observation of bacteria and was a ground-breaking discovery.
What did the Reformation lead to, in terms of the Church’s power and involvement? What did this allow for?
Due to the Reformation, the Church had less impact in people’s everyday lives.
This allowed more experimentation to be carried out in medicine.
Dissections of human bodies were carried out that allowed physicians to learn more about the working of the human body.
When and where did the Royal Society meet up for the first time?
The Royal Society was set up, meeting for the first time at Gresham College in London in 1660.
What was the aim of the Royal Society?
The Royal Society’s aim was to promote and carry out experiments to further the understanding of science.
What did the Royal Society promote and encourage?
They promoted the sharing of scientific knowledge and encouraged argument over new theories and ideas.
What did the Royal Society recieve in 1662? What did this give them?
The Royal Society received its Royal Charter from Charles II in 1662, which gave the credibility.
In 1665, what did the Royal Society begin publishing? What did it include?
In 1665, the Royal Society began publishing their scientific journal, Philosophical Transactions.
The journal had letters, book reviews and experiments that scientists could learn from.
It is still published to this day.
Who was John Baptiste von Helmont? What did he do?
Jon Baptiste von Helmont was a Flemish physician.
He developed a better understanding of the digestive system. This led to people gradually stopping believing that disease was caused by eating the wrong things.
He made it so urine was no longer given as an accurate way of diagnosing illness.
Who was Robert Hooke?
Robert Hooke was an English scientist and the head of experiments at the Royal Society
Who was Anthony von Leeuwenhoek?
Anthony von Leeuwenhoek was a Dutch scientist.
When was the first British printing press set up?
The first British printing press was set up in the 1470s.
Why was the printing press useful? Give three reasons.
New ideas would have to be widely accepted before anyone would go to the bother of copying them by hand.
The invention of printing allowed books to be copied much more easily.
Students in universities could have their own textbooks for the first time, letting them study in detail.
New ideas could be spread and debated more easily.
The printing press also meant people could question existing ideas.
Making a single copy of a book by hand could take many months or even years. What did this mean about books?
This means that books were therefore very rare and precious
At least 600 different editions of Galen’s books were printed between 1473 and 1599.
But, there were lots of different versions, why was this a problem?
Because of the amount of different versions, it was unclear what Galen had originally written — this made his writings seem less reliable.
Who was Girolamo Fracastoro?
Girolamo Fracastoro was an Italian physician.
What group of people rejected the Theory of the Four Humours in the 16th century?
In the 16th century, the Theory of the Four Humours was rejected by some radical physicians
What did Paracelsus influence?
Paracelsus influenced the belief that disease was seen as something separate from the body, which needed to be attacked.
New chemical treatments started to appear, influenced by the increasing popularity of alchemy.
What text did Girolamo Fractastoro write? What did he theorise?
In 1546, a new text called On Contagion was written by Girolamo Fracastoro
It theorised that disease was caused by seeds spread in the air.
What did Jon Baptiste van Helmont influence?
A better understanding of the digestive system developed with the help of Jon Baptiste van Helmont.
This meant that people gradually stopped believing disease was caused by eating the wrong things.
Urine was no longer seen as an accurate way of diagnosing illness.
What did Robert Hooke write? What did it show?
A new book, Micrographia, was published in 1665 and written by Robert Hooke, showed many detailed images, including a close-up drawing of a flea, copied from a magnified image.
What did Antony van Leeuwenhoek develop? What did it allow to be observed?
What other, two things did he discover?
By 1683, more powerful microscopes had been developed by Leeuwenhoek to allow for the observation of tiny ‘animalcules’ or little animals in plaque scraped from between the teeth.
The images were not very clear, but they were visible. This was the first recorded observation of bacteria.
He also discovered protists and bacteria.
What were apothecaries organised into? Why did this improve medicine?
Apothecaries were organised into a guild system, this improved medicine because it meant that you could carry out apprenticeship and then practice under supervision of a master, so you could become a master surgeon/apothecary.
What did surgeons and apothecaries need to have?
Surgeons and apothecaries had to have several years of practice as Journeymen, under supervision of a master.
What was Iatrochemistry? What did it introduce?
Iatrochemistry was a new subject taught at university.
It introduced new ingredients into the stores of apothecaries.
Why was there little practical training for apothecaries at university?
There were very little practical training at universities because they didn’t have a place to carry out dissections, so they just couldn’t.
What were fugitive sheets?
Fugitive sheets were prints of anatomical drawings for medical students.
At a 16th century hospital, what did patients have?
At a 16th century hospital, patients had a good diet, a visit from a physician as well as medication.
Why did lots of hospitals close during the Renaissance?
Lots of hospitals closed during the Renaissance because many were connected to the church, and couldn’t stay open after the dissolution of monasteries.
