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The medical Renaissance, c1500 to c1700
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In the Renaissance, people began to question old ideas and look for evidence. Two scientists changed what doctors knew about the body.
A new approach
The printing press spread new ideas quickly and accurately.
The Church had less control over learning after the Reformation.
The Royal Society (1660) encouraged scientists to share experiments.
The Church had less control over learning after the Reformation.
The Royal Society (1660) encouraged scientists to share experiments.
Vesalius and Harvey
Andreas Vesalius published *On the Fabric of the Human Body* in 1543. Based on dissection, it showed Galen had made mistakes about human anatomy.
William Harvey published his discovery of the circulation of the blood in 1628. The heart pumps blood round the body in a loop.
William Harvey published his discovery of the circulation of the blood in 1628. The heart pumps blood round the body in a loop.
Continuity: the Great Plague
In 1665 the Great Plague hit London. People still blamed miasma and God.
Treatments and prevention, such as carrying sweet-smelling herbs and killing cats and dogs, were similar to medieval methods.
New knowledge of anatomy did not yet lead to better treatments.
Treatments and prevention, such as carrying sweet-smelling herbs and killing cats and dogs, were similar to medieval methods.
New knowledge of anatomy did not yet lead to better treatments.
Why did Harvey's discovery not improve treatments straight away?
- Knowing how blood moves did not explain what caused disease.
- Doctors still believed in the Four Humours and kept bloodletting.
- There was no technology, such as blood transfusion, to use the discovery.
Answer: It improved understanding of the body, but not of disease causes or treatment.
Printing and the Royal Society spread ideas. Vesalius (1543) corrected Galen's anatomy; Harvey (1628) showed blood circulates. But treatments and plague responses, such as in 1665, changed little.
The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.
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