renaissance medicine c1500-1700 Flashcards
(44 cards)
how did the black death encourage change for the renaissance
the black death began to encourage change as survivors were paid higher wages because employers had to attract workers. education was pushed
what happened with the theory of four humours in the 16th century
it was rejected by some radical physicians as 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 was williams harvey discovery
1628- a new theory was published in Britain, which suggested that blood circulated around the body instead of being made in the liver, as taught by Galen
what did Jan Baptiste van Helmont (a flemish physician discover )
a better understanding of the digestive system was developed. 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 (an english scientist and head of experiments at royal society ) discover
New microscopes were begging developed, which allowed for much clearer magnification. A new book Micrographia , published in 1665 showed many detailed images including a close - up drawing of a flea copied from a magnified image
what did thomas sydenham (english physician ) discover
1676- rhe medical text book Observationes Medicae was published . this theoried that illness was caused by external factors rather than the four humours
what did antony van leeuwenhoek (a dutch scientist ) discover
1683- more powerful microscopes had been developed 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
what is humanism
love of learning , new interests in classical scholars
the idea that we can make up our own mind
16th century humanism -
rejecting that god was responsible , looking back at galen and hippocrates
-590 editions of Galen’s writing were published
17th century humanism
more experiments began
church has less authority
new ideas started to gain more support
why was Thomas Sydenham work important
he focused on moving medicine . refused to rely on medical books when diagnosing . closely observed symptoms and treating disease causing them
thomas sydenham didn’t rely on medical books instead he
closely observed the symptoms and treating the disease causing them. this was a change from medieval period as they treated each of symptoms separately instead of seeing them as all side effects of one cause
why were Thomas Sydenham ideas controversial
he thought diseases were like plants and animals in that they could be organized in different groups. he encouraged detailed descriptions of symptons & then look for remedies to tackle disease. he was not able to isolate and identify various microorganisms but was able to identify measles & scarlet fever wer separate p
Thomas Sydenham treatments included
- airy bedrooms
- light blankets
- cold drinks
thomas sydenham ideas were important because
they helped medicine to progress further and treatments became successful
what impact did Andrea Vesalius have
he wrote a book called them fabric of the human body’ written in 1543
now knew exactly what skeleton looks like as they have dissected one
public dissection of human body - galens work was disproved so has been sidelined
Vesalius carries out dissection - monkeys were sidelined as use to be dissected
importance of versalius
- public dissection was like a show and open to encourage everyone
- showed other people by printing books and artists drew in them
gradual developments in training of doctors
- in a handful of hospitals (in edinburgh and st Bart’s London) part of their training took place on wards
- they studied the work of vesalius on anatomy and Harvey on physiology
- training emphasized the importance of taking a scientific approach and observing symptoms and trying out treatments
- more doctors had the chance to dissect bodies so they could learn for themselves
- new equipment developed such as microscopes & thermometers although these still bedded a lot of improvement in the future
healers and hospitals in renaissancd
woman still played a major part in everyday medicine as first person to treat nearly all sickness was wide or mother of sick people. wealthy ladies often provided care for local families. most preferred cheaper and more familiar remedies from surgeons , apothecaries & their family
many medieval hospitals were part of monasteries. Henry VII closed them in the 1530s some were taken over by town councils
this changed hospitals as they started to have 800 patients & 12 wards by 1660s
however if u had infectious diseases they were still ahout care rather than cure
what were problems with galen in renaissance
had given a full description of anatomy of the body and dissected apes and pigs which weren’t similiar to humans
andreas vesalius achievements
proving that galen could be wrong, he proved that : human jaw bone is made from one bone to two, breast one has three parts not seven and blood does not flow into heart through invisible holes in septum as galen suggested . he published ‘The Fabric of the Human body’ in 1543 firsy highly detailed book describing human anatomy. illustrations showed body in far more detail and for more accurately than before
why was andreas vesalius able to make these achievements
science & technology: printing , he supervises the engraving of illustrations and printing himself. printing meant everything came out the same with no mistakes. thousands of copies of his book were used all over europe
individuals : he was inventive and determined he worked in where dissection was encouraged
attitudes: seeking improvement believed it was vital to ask questions & challenge traditional ideas by carrying out dissections
when was Andreas Vesalius book used
used in cambridge bt 1860 and led to doctors writing corrections about anatomy in older medical books. he is just about anatomy not worked out causes or treatments
why was andreas vesalius significant to medicine
first person to publish work on dissections - proved galen wrong and was a major turning point in medical treatment
