Medicine in the Renaissance c.1500 - 1750

What was the Medical Renaissance?

The Renaissance was a scientific movemet which saw the rebirth of classic ideas and a focus on the nature of humanity rather that the power of religion. The Renaissance saw developments in medical knowledge, ideas and technology.

The Printing Press (1450) 

Old books written by the Greeks and Romans were printed so that old knowledge was rediscovered. An author or artist became a valued job, because ideas could be easily communicated. It allowed ideas to spread quickly all over Europe.

Andreas Vesalius (1543) 

Before Vesalius, all doctor's believed in Galen's ideas and thought there was no need to learn more about anatomy. In 1536, Vesalius carried out the first human dissection and found the position of all organs, nerves and bones in the body. He also found that Galen's ideas were wrong in several areas, such as how the jaw was made up of two bones, how blood didn't pass through the sceptum and how the muscles and bones were attatched. His book, "Fabric of the Human Body" was published in 1543.

Factors that helped: chance, individual genius, technology (printing press).

William Harvey (1628) 

In 1616, Harvey calculated that it was impossible for blood to…