UNIT 1/ Medicine and Treatment

The Renaissance c1350AD - c1750

The Church

• many of the ideas of the Church continued (eg hospitals, galen, training of doctors)
• but during the Renasissance the power of the Church challenged by new inventions (the printing press and new medical knowledge) and the work of Vesalius and Harvey 

Ideas about disease - similar to Roman Britain

• miasma
• four humours
• god sent disease

Ideas about disease - were there any good ideas?

• Bills of mortality during the great plague (introduced by the Lord Mayor of London)
• use of leechbooks
• doctors studied the urine

Vesalius - c1550

Challenged relgion and encouraged science

• showed how and why galen had made mistakes (200)
• showed the importance of dissection in adding to medical knowledge
• weakened the grip…