Challenges to medical authority

What was the Renaissance?

A time of artistic and technological development in Europe

What were key inventions during the renaissance?

The printing press and the microscope

Why did Galen’s ideas start to be questioned?

The influence of the Catholic Church decreased, and knowledge became more easily and widely spread, so challenges to Galen became faster and wider known

The printing press

Developed in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg, allowing both new and old ideas to be circulated quickly around Europe, encouraging new ideas to be created. During this time, old ideas were both rediscovered as monks and scholars could translate ancient roman and greek texts, and enabled Galen’s influence to be reduced. It printed pages more quickly, cheaply and more accurately

Throughout the renaissance, who continued to support Galen?

Physicians typically maintained their support since they learnt predominantly from lectures and textbooks

Throughout the renaissance, who stopped supporting Galen?

Surgeons since they used experimentation to develop ideas about medicine thus found some of Galen’s inconsistencies