mediicine in the renaissance period

Renaisance means 'rebirth'

During this period there was a slow change from respect for tradition to the search for new ideas.

This slowly developed into a scieniftic approach. 

People began to refocus on the natural forces, Ancient Greeks and Romans rather than the superstitious approach.

Not everyone agreed with the ideas of galen.

However because is a weaker catholic church they began to investiagate and realise mistakes. 

 Printing and new artistic techniques meant knowlegde could be shared faster and easily. 

the Royal Society was set up to share new discoveries and ideas. This meant people started to ask quetions. 

The new scientific focus led to the development of new microscopes.

The idea of disease hadnt changed  

Some doctors worked hard to try and learn more.

Became know as the  English Hippocrates 

He based his ideas apon observation.

He focused on how to diagnose disease.

Told young doctors to sit by the patient's bed and keep record of their symptons 

He promoted taking patients pulse.

Made many detailed descriptions of diseases such as scarlet fever.

This improved medicial knowlegde 

He also belived in letting the body heal itself. 

The acted similarly to the way the reacted to the plague.

People prayed, gave out magical or religous charms and cut buboes.

Traders sold great medicine and people tried folk medicine. 

The ideas of advioding the plague were linked to ideas about its causes.

Hung bunches of sweet herbs, drank plague water. (mixture of herbs and wine). 

People advioded public places and soaked coins in vinegar. 

Taverns and theatres were shut. Stray animals were rounded up.

Carts collected dead bodies at night and buried them in graves away fom the town.

Harvey focused upon learning about how blood travelled around the body.

He was inspired by the development of water pumps so then it realised that the heart acted as a pump and that blood flowed in one direction around the body.

He also proved that it was the same blood that travelled around and it was not replaced.

This proved Galen wrong as he had said that: new blood was constantly maked in the liver; that veins carried blood and air; and that blood passed from one side of the heart to the other. Harvey proved this by:

·         Dissecting live cold blooded animals to watch their hearts beat.

·         Dissecting human bodies to build up detailed knowledge of the heart.

·         Carrying out scientific experiments.

Vesalius corrected over 200 errors made by Galen,

Including that the human jaw is one bone not two and the position and shape of the kidneys.

Vesalius published his work in a book called ‘The Fabric of the Human Body’. The book included very accurate sketches of the human body

The new printing techniques it could be reproduced accurately in high numbers.

This led to changes in doctors training and more doctors dissecting bodies for themselves.

The first bodies were dissected in Cambridge in 1565.

The development in knowledge of anatomy was crucial in the progression of medicine, however no one lived any longer as there was still no accurate scientific explanation of the causes of disease.

Bleeding and purging - Same as Middle ages

Herbal Remedies -Same as Middle ages 

God and the King - Curing scrofula by being touched by the king as God's representative 

Rolk remedies - Charms or magical superstitous cures