The Renaissance

changes in ideas on causes of disease in the renaissance period

==**fewer**== **people believed in supernatural** or religious causes of disease

decline in the influence of the church, and with it the focus on God as a cause of illness, shift to the more scientific approach to causing illness

various new rational explanations for the disease were suggested, such as **seeds in the air spreading the disease**

when was the renaissance

c1500 to c1700

continuity in ideas on causes of disease

miasma
theory of 4 humours

the changing influence of the church

new religious ideas challenged the authority of the church, weakening its influence.

people were religious but they began to look for new explanations for the cause of disease

ideas supported by the church, e.g Galen, were relied on less

change in the work of physics

fewer people believed that astrology caused disease → Physicians stopped using astrology charts for diagnosis and timing of treatment

improved knowledge of digestion meant physicians realised urine wasn't a good indicator of disease → stopped using urine charts for diagnosis

physicians carry out more direct observations and examinations of their patients rather than relying on the patient explaining their symptoms

who was Thomas Sydenham

he was a doctor in the 1660s and 70s

he didn't rely on medical books when making a diagnosis but observed patients and recorded symptoms in detail

he was instrumental in the new idea that disease had **nothing to do with the nature of the person who had it**

he based treatment on the disease as a whole and didn't treat individual symptoms

ways that ideas were transmitted in the renaissance period

the printing press
the royal society

The development of the printing press (explain it)

at the start the renaissance there were hundreds across Europe, it meant that many copies of texts could be produced in a short amount of time

this therefore reduced the churches control as they could no longer control the publication of ideas; the books and ideas and discoveries of scientists could be shared much more effectively across a wider area

explain the setting up of the royal society

aimed to **further scientific understanding** by carrying out and recording the results of experiments, sharing scientific knowledge and encouraging new theories and ideas

from 1665 the royal society published a journal called the **Philosophical Transactions**, in which scientists could share their work and ideas. This meant doctors and scientists could study, challenge and build on each other's research.

This way, theories could be dismissed or confirmed, and the news of the findings could spread quickly to the medical community.

hospitals in the renaicanse

hospitals were **treating more sick** people and were being used less by travellers and pilgrims

in 1536, the **dissolution** of the monasteries in England by henry viii caused most hospitals to close

some free, charity-funded hospitals were set up, but it wasn't until well into the 1700s that the number of hospitals returned to pre-dissolution levels

more ==**pest**== **houses** began to appear where people suffering from a particularly contagious disease could go for care

when hospitals did re-appear, they were run by physicians **focused** on **treating the sick** rather than by religion

community care

as in medieval times, most people who became ill, were cared for at home, usually by a female relative.

physicians were too expensive for the majority

members of the community helped with advice and remedies, some were paid for their services

continuing treatments and preventions

traditional herbal remedies
bleeding and purging
cleanliness
superstitions & prayer
healthy living

changes in prevention and treatments

more emphasis on **removing miasma** through draining swamps, and removing sewage and rubbish

people **regularly changed their clothe**s to keep clean rather than just bathing

**new herbal remedies** from newly discovered countries appeared in England, some were effective

the **theory of transference** led people to try and rub objects on themselves to transfer the disease to the object

**alchemy** caused chemical cures for using metals or minerals to become popular

lack of change in the renaissance

the ideas were slow to be accepted

they had no direct us in improving disease or preventing

their discoveries didn't improve understanding of the cause of disease

continuity in apothecaries and surgeons

they were still not given uni training and were still considered inferior to physicians but they were cheaper

Change in Apothecaries and Surgeons

both were better trained through being in guild systems, where they were apprentices, then journeymen, before becoming masters

a licence was now needed to work as an apothecary or surgeon, and these were only issued after completing training

continuity in physicians

they were still trained at universities and training lasted for many years

training was stuck based on learning from textbooks rather than practical experience

change in physcians

there was better access to a wider variety of medical books and detailed drawings due to the printing press

gradually new ideas about anatomy (led by Vesalius) and causes of disease inspired some physicians to become more practical and experimental.

what dis Vesalius do?

he carried out a large number of dissections on human bodies and made many discoveries about how the body worked

Importance of Vesalius

Improved understanding on body

made the study of anatomy fashionable & it became central to the study of medicine

Proved Galen wrong, encouraged others to check Galens other theories

Published around Europe

encouraged and inspired other medical proffesionals to carry out dissections and make further discoveries

beliefs about causes of the great plague 1665

mostly the same as the black death, but there were a few differences

miasma, most common belief

far fewer people put it down to the four humours

people knew it could be spread from person to person

the black death v the great plague

the two diseases were the same so comparing the methods used to treat and prevent them is a useful guide to understanding what changed and what stayed the same in over 300 years of medicine.

there was increase action by local councils to supress the spread

government action in the great plague

dogs and cats were killed

theatres were closed

streets were cleaned often

carts collected the dead daily

days of fasting and public prayer

barrels of tar burned in the street

treatments for the great plague 1665

**theory of transference** (specifically transferring to birds such as chickens)

**sweating the disease out;** people would wrap up in a blanket by the fire

when was the great plague

1665

what did plague doctors; do, wear and why

masks induced sweet smelling herbs to ward off the miasma

cloack was waxed so nothing from the patient could be absorbed into it

birds were believed to attract disease so the mask was in the shape of a bird's beak in the hope it would cause the plague to leave the patient.

who was William Harvey, what did he do

carried out public dissections

studied medicine at Cambridge then Padua

taught the importance of doctors observing patients' symptoms rather than relying on textbooks for diagnosis and symptoms

discovered the process of blood circulation

where did Harvey publish his findings

an anatomical account of the motion of the heart and blood in animals 1628

how did Harvey discover the circulation of blood

Harvey researched Vesalius theory that blood flowed towards the heart, which contradicted Galens's theory, he proved Vesalius right using dissected bodies and pumps that showed blood only flowed one way

he proved that blood couldn't be produced by the liver and absorbed into the body (which is what Galen thought)

he was influenced by new technology such as mechanical water pumps which made him think the human body worked in the same way

he discovered arteries and veins were party of one system and that blood was pumped round the body by the heart

the importance of Harvey

**he proved some of galen's theories wrongs** and brought galen's other theories into question.

he **improved the knowledge about how the body worked**, by 1700 his work was being taught in medical schools

as a royal physician for James's 1st, his work gained **publicity and credibility and inspired others to find out more**

his discoveries left many unanswered questions which encouraged further experiments

factors that led to harveys discovery

vesalius insporation

changing attitudes in society & declining power of the church

charles 1 encouraging his work

royal soc publishing his work

printing press

the pump inspo