Paper 1: Medicine in Britain (in Medieval England)
c1250-c1500
Supernatural: Astrology- the
order of the planets and stars
Religious: God Beliefs of the
Miasma: belief that
caused illnesses Causes of Illnesses:
bad air was harmful
and caused illnesses
4 Humours by
Hippocrates
How was astrology used to help diagnose illness? What was the 4 Humours?
By looking at the alignment of the planets Phlegm, Blood, Yellow Bile and Black Bile
How was God the cause of illnesses? Who was Hippocrates and how did he practice medicine?
If you sinned, the God would punish you with Hippocrates was an Ancient Greek Physician who came up with
illness the 4 Humour Theory. He practiced medicine through
observing his patients and recording their symptoms.
How was miasma the cause of illness?
Why was the 4 Humours so popular?
People believed that you would become ill if they
weren’t clean The Catholic Church approved of this theory, because it was
used to prove that God was the designer and creator of the
How was the 4 Humours believed to have caused
human body. It was so detailed and there wasn’t any other
illnesses?
scientific explanation.
If you were ill, your humours were unbalanced and
Also, since the Church accepted this idea, they wouldn’t accept
needed to be restored to balance them again
any other idea that didn’t support that God was the designer or
creator. They would punish those who would challenge them.
Who was Galen?
Therefore, this led people not wanting to develop on the idea
An Ancient Rome Physician due to the fear of being punished, which is how the Church
How did he develop on the 4 Humours? What was hindered (prevented) the development of medicine.
his theory?
Review questions:
Theory of opposites= whatever the unbalanced
humour was, just treat it with the opposite of the 1. What are 4 causes of illnesses?
humour to counter act the humour. 2. What is miasma?
3. What is the 4 humours and who created it?
What is an example of this theory?
4. How did the church hinder medicine?
If your phlegm (water=cold) was unbalanced, then 5. What was the impact of the 4 Humours?
you would eat hot peppers/chillies (hot) to balance. 6. Explain Galen’s theory in less than 200 words
, Physician Apothecary Barber Surgeon Women Church
-Went to university 7- -Mixed herbal remedies, -Cheap, -At home, - Owned monasteries
10 years and studied herbs -Least qualified women which were like
-Very expensive, - didn’t have to go -Did an apprenticeship would mix hospitals for people
-Diagnosed illness and university in barber surgery herbal who were sick, they
recommended a -cheaper than physicians instead of going to remedies gave food, a place to
treatment but still expensive university to cure the rest and prayer but
sick didn’t actually help the
sick, they gave them
Pomander filled somewhere to rest
-1,000 medieval
Praying and flagellation- with herbs
hospitals ran by monks
whipping themselves. Hygiene- Regimen and nuns
Sanitatis: instructions to
encourage cleanliness.
Preventions This included bathing in
Diet- To have a balanced diet
order to counteract
of meat and vegetables. Avoid
miasma. However, only
over eating.
rich people could bathe
in public baths, leaving
the poor to bathe in
rivers.
Why did people whip themselves?
They believed that by ‘punishing’ themselves
because of their sins instead of God punishing
them, they can avoid illness
Treatments
Treatments
Who treated the sick?
Physicians, Apothecary, barber surgeons, women and hospitals ran by the Church
How did people treat themselves?
Purging- making the patient sick or making them take laxatives to empty bowels
Bloodletting- drawing the patient’s blood
,Case Study: 1348 Black Death
What was the Black Death?
A bubonic plague, which bacteria was spread
by fleas and rats on ships.
This killed 1/3 of the population.
Symptoms of the Black Death:
Buboes, fever, vomiting, headaches
Causes Preventions Treatments
God punishing them Praying to God Bloodletting,
Miasma Flagellants Purging
Earthquakes cleaning streets Sniffing strong herbs
Volcanoes, and many people leaving London. However, only Fires to remove bad air
blamed the Jews, however this the rich would be able to
made no sense as they were afford this.
expelled from England in the Carrying pomanders filled with
13th century. herbs.
Listen to joyful music.
Review Questions:
1. Write down the preventions you can remember
2. Write down the treatments you can remember
3. What was purging?
4. What was bloodletting?
5. Compare a physician to a barber surgeon
6. What was the Black Death?
7. What did people believe were the causes of the Black Death?
8. What did people do to prevent the Black death?
Pest Houses
For contagious diseases
Were called lazar houses
Hospitals wouldn’t accept these
Remember to use
patients as they would potentially
flashcards to help you
spread disease
memorise facts faster,
Those with leprosy came here
, Renaissance England c1500-c1700
Similarities to Medieval England Differences/Changes
Herbal remedies still popular Hospitals run by monasteries where
Belief in miasma closed when Henry VIII dissolved them
Belief in astrology although popularity Hospitals now run by physicians not
decreased monks and nuns
Andreas Vesalius Royal Society 1660’s
He proved Galen wrong. Galen’s theory that a Aimed to bring scientists together to
human jawbone was made of two bones was share discoveries and to debate theories
incorrect and Vesalius proved that it wasn’t two King Charles II gave a charter to them,
bones. Galen made this judgement from animals he which meant that they were given Royal
dissected approval 1662
Catholic Church forbade human dissection, however Also, it led to people being more willing to
a judge allowed him to dissect executed criminals donate to support them in medical
Catholic Church believed that the human soul would research
lose their way to heaven if they were cut open Published the Philosophical Transactions
1543 Fabric of the Human Body, which They used the Printing Press which was
demonstrated the importance of anatomical invented in 1439 to publish books
knowledge Sydenham also used the printing press
Books were encouraged to be written in
William Harvey English rather than Latin, so more people
could understand
Proved Galen wrong: Galen said that blood was Members of the society had to provide a
produced in the liver, Harvey proved that blood copy of their work to be placed in a library
pumped from the heart by dissecting cold blooded for the public to read and study
animals, like reptiles
Proved that the heart was like a pump and moved in
a one-way system around the body
Printing Press 1439
He published the book ‘An Anatomical Account of
the Motion of the Heart & Blood’ 1628 Johannes Gutenberg, a German Goldsmith, who
His ideas weren’t immediately accepted as people invented the printing press to spread information
believed in Galen’s teachings faster, instead of handwriting books
Thomas Sydenham
Review Questions
Nicknamed the ‘English Hippocrates’
Diagnosed patients by observing symptoms and 1. Who was Vesalius and what was his
treating disease as a whole instead of following books impact?
and treating each symptom 2. Who were the royal society?
He encouraged his students to observe symptoms 3. What did the royal society do?
and record symptoms in detailed descriptions, then 4. Who was Harvey and how did he prove
find remedies to treat the disease NOT the symptoms Galen’s theory wrong?
Identified that measles and scarlet fever were 5. Who was Sydenham and what did he do
different diseases to improve medicine?
Wrote the ‘Observations Medicae’, which described 6. Describe what the printing press was?
how to diagnose disease, however people didn’t Was it more efficient in comparison to
accept his ideas immediately, he was criticised handwriting books? Did it spread
information faster?
, Case study: The Great Plague 1665
The Great Plague caused approximately 75,000 deaths in London
Many cats were killed as they were believed to be a carrier, however, this made the
plague spread even quicker, because cats killed rats and the rats were spreading the
disease
Why didn’t people understand the cause of the Great Plague? What are the similarities of the Black Death in 1348
and the Great plague in 1665?
The cause of disease was person to person, however
there was no scientific evidence which could prove it I. People believed in Miasma, which was
yet. believed to have caused illnesses
II. Using a pomander (carrying herbs, sniffing the
How did they try to prevent the spread? herbs and bathing in them) which was used as
Physicians wore plague masks which looked similar to a prevention to counteract Miasma
a crow III. Bloodletting and purging used as a treatment
People required to 40 days of quarantine IV. Aloe vera and vinegar which was used as a
No public meetings- theatre and large funerals treatment
banned
Cats, dogs and pigeons killed as they were believed to
be carriers of disease What are the differences of the Black Death in 1348
and the Great plague in 1665?
How did people treat the disease?
In 1348 people didn’t quarantine and still went to
People believed in ‘transference’, so they would strap Church, while in 1665 people quarantined for 40 days
chicken to their buboes, as they though the disease and were banned from attending large gatherings.
would transfer to the chicken
Can you come up with any other differences judging
from the information given to you?
Review questions:
1. How many deaths were recorded from the Great Plague in London?
2. How did the Great Plague spread?
3. What was the cause of the Great Plague?
4. How did people try to treat the Great Plague?
5. How did people try to prevent themselves from getting the Great Plague?
6. What are some similarities of the Black Death and the Great Plague?
Exam questions:
Explain why there was so little change in medicine during the Middle Ages (12)
Explain why some changes took place in medical knowledge during the period c.1500-c.1700. (12)
Explain why there was little change in methods of treating and preventing disease during the period c.1500-
c.1700 (12)
‘The role of The Church was the main reason why there was so little change in medicine in the Middle Ages.’
How far do you agree? Explain your answer. (16)
, Industrial England c1700-c1900
Edward Jenner & Vaccinations
What was smallpox?
A deadly disease which mutilated humans, causing blisters, blindness and weakening the immune system and was spread
from person to person.
Many physicians would inoculate patients (mostly the rich) with a mild version of it. Inoculation was when a small pox
sufferer had their blister cut open and the pus was given to a healthy person by cutting their arm and infecting it with
pus.
What did Jenner discover?
Discovered that milkmaids who would get cowpox wouldn’t get smallpox. This led to Jenner taking some cowpox from a
cow named ‘Blossom’ and infected it into a boy called James Phipps. After the inoculation, he infected Phipps with small
pox, after he recovered, this made catching smallpox unlikely. Consequently, leading to Jenner creating the vaccine for
smallpox.
Why wasn’t the smallpox vaccine immediately successful in Britain?
He was competing with other doctors and many doctors who were jealous would hire artists to make illustrations which
would scare people from getting the vaccine, because they didn’t want to see Jenner become successful.
How did it become successful in Europe?
Napoleon made it compulsory for his army to have after seeing the importance of it and this led to the vaccines being
sent to many other countries.
What was the legacy of Jenner?
He didn’t want the money to become wealthy, instead he wanted to help medicine improve and help the poor by making
the vaccine free of charge and stayed in the countryside as a GP
1848 Public Health Act vs 1875 Public Health Act What was Jenner’s impact?
1848 1875 By 1800, 100,000 people had been
Edwin Chadwick Was made compulsory vaccinated
Chadwick believed that waste Water was clean 1852 the vaccine was compulsory
contributed to bad health, Sewerage systems Death rate dropped dramatically
which was a problem that improved 1979 World Health Organisation
needed to be solved because Provided new and clean announced that smallpox was
they needed factory workers to toilets wiped out across the world
be healthy Improved houses to
People didn’t support him, had prevent overcrowding
a Lassiez-faire attitude (leaving Improved public spaces
other people to deal with the Food was inspected However, doctors made mistakes by
problem) before being sold infecting people with smallpox first instead
He was unsuccessful, because People didn’t have a of cowpox first.
although the government tried laissez faire attitude
Christian groups were against it saying it
to keep the streets clean most anymore
people ignored this as it wasn’t was unnatural
compulsory
c1250-c1500
Supernatural: Astrology- the
order of the planets and stars
Religious: God Beliefs of the
Miasma: belief that
caused illnesses Causes of Illnesses:
bad air was harmful
and caused illnesses
4 Humours by
Hippocrates
How was astrology used to help diagnose illness? What was the 4 Humours?
By looking at the alignment of the planets Phlegm, Blood, Yellow Bile and Black Bile
How was God the cause of illnesses? Who was Hippocrates and how did he practice medicine?
If you sinned, the God would punish you with Hippocrates was an Ancient Greek Physician who came up with
illness the 4 Humour Theory. He practiced medicine through
observing his patients and recording their symptoms.
How was miasma the cause of illness?
Why was the 4 Humours so popular?
People believed that you would become ill if they
weren’t clean The Catholic Church approved of this theory, because it was
used to prove that God was the designer and creator of the
How was the 4 Humours believed to have caused
human body. It was so detailed and there wasn’t any other
illnesses?
scientific explanation.
If you were ill, your humours were unbalanced and
Also, since the Church accepted this idea, they wouldn’t accept
needed to be restored to balance them again
any other idea that didn’t support that God was the designer or
creator. They would punish those who would challenge them.
Who was Galen?
Therefore, this led people not wanting to develop on the idea
An Ancient Rome Physician due to the fear of being punished, which is how the Church
How did he develop on the 4 Humours? What was hindered (prevented) the development of medicine.
his theory?
Review questions:
Theory of opposites= whatever the unbalanced
humour was, just treat it with the opposite of the 1. What are 4 causes of illnesses?
humour to counter act the humour. 2. What is miasma?
3. What is the 4 humours and who created it?
What is an example of this theory?
4. How did the church hinder medicine?
If your phlegm (water=cold) was unbalanced, then 5. What was the impact of the 4 Humours?
you would eat hot peppers/chillies (hot) to balance. 6. Explain Galen’s theory in less than 200 words
, Physician Apothecary Barber Surgeon Women Church
-Went to university 7- -Mixed herbal remedies, -Cheap, -At home, - Owned monasteries
10 years and studied herbs -Least qualified women which were like
-Very expensive, - didn’t have to go -Did an apprenticeship would mix hospitals for people
-Diagnosed illness and university in barber surgery herbal who were sick, they
recommended a -cheaper than physicians instead of going to remedies gave food, a place to
treatment but still expensive university to cure the rest and prayer but
sick didn’t actually help the
sick, they gave them
Pomander filled somewhere to rest
-1,000 medieval
Praying and flagellation- with herbs
hospitals ran by monks
whipping themselves. Hygiene- Regimen and nuns
Sanitatis: instructions to
encourage cleanliness.
Preventions This included bathing in
Diet- To have a balanced diet
order to counteract
of meat and vegetables. Avoid
miasma. However, only
over eating.
rich people could bathe
in public baths, leaving
the poor to bathe in
rivers.
Why did people whip themselves?
They believed that by ‘punishing’ themselves
because of their sins instead of God punishing
them, they can avoid illness
Treatments
Treatments
Who treated the sick?
Physicians, Apothecary, barber surgeons, women and hospitals ran by the Church
How did people treat themselves?
Purging- making the patient sick or making them take laxatives to empty bowels
Bloodletting- drawing the patient’s blood
,Case Study: 1348 Black Death
What was the Black Death?
A bubonic plague, which bacteria was spread
by fleas and rats on ships.
This killed 1/3 of the population.
Symptoms of the Black Death:
Buboes, fever, vomiting, headaches
Causes Preventions Treatments
God punishing them Praying to God Bloodletting,
Miasma Flagellants Purging
Earthquakes cleaning streets Sniffing strong herbs
Volcanoes, and many people leaving London. However, only Fires to remove bad air
blamed the Jews, however this the rich would be able to
made no sense as they were afford this.
expelled from England in the Carrying pomanders filled with
13th century. herbs.
Listen to joyful music.
Review Questions:
1. Write down the preventions you can remember
2. Write down the treatments you can remember
3. What was purging?
4. What was bloodletting?
5. Compare a physician to a barber surgeon
6. What was the Black Death?
7. What did people believe were the causes of the Black Death?
8. What did people do to prevent the Black death?
Pest Houses
For contagious diseases
Were called lazar houses
Hospitals wouldn’t accept these
Remember to use
patients as they would potentially
flashcards to help you
spread disease
memorise facts faster,
Those with leprosy came here
, Renaissance England c1500-c1700
Similarities to Medieval England Differences/Changes
Herbal remedies still popular Hospitals run by monasteries where
Belief in miasma closed when Henry VIII dissolved them
Belief in astrology although popularity Hospitals now run by physicians not
decreased monks and nuns
Andreas Vesalius Royal Society 1660’s
He proved Galen wrong. Galen’s theory that a Aimed to bring scientists together to
human jawbone was made of two bones was share discoveries and to debate theories
incorrect and Vesalius proved that it wasn’t two King Charles II gave a charter to them,
bones. Galen made this judgement from animals he which meant that they were given Royal
dissected approval 1662
Catholic Church forbade human dissection, however Also, it led to people being more willing to
a judge allowed him to dissect executed criminals donate to support them in medical
Catholic Church believed that the human soul would research
lose their way to heaven if they were cut open Published the Philosophical Transactions
1543 Fabric of the Human Body, which They used the Printing Press which was
demonstrated the importance of anatomical invented in 1439 to publish books
knowledge Sydenham also used the printing press
Books were encouraged to be written in
William Harvey English rather than Latin, so more people
could understand
Proved Galen wrong: Galen said that blood was Members of the society had to provide a
produced in the liver, Harvey proved that blood copy of their work to be placed in a library
pumped from the heart by dissecting cold blooded for the public to read and study
animals, like reptiles
Proved that the heart was like a pump and moved in
a one-way system around the body
Printing Press 1439
He published the book ‘An Anatomical Account of
the Motion of the Heart & Blood’ 1628 Johannes Gutenberg, a German Goldsmith, who
His ideas weren’t immediately accepted as people invented the printing press to spread information
believed in Galen’s teachings faster, instead of handwriting books
Thomas Sydenham
Review Questions
Nicknamed the ‘English Hippocrates’
Diagnosed patients by observing symptoms and 1. Who was Vesalius and what was his
treating disease as a whole instead of following books impact?
and treating each symptom 2. Who were the royal society?
He encouraged his students to observe symptoms 3. What did the royal society do?
and record symptoms in detailed descriptions, then 4. Who was Harvey and how did he prove
find remedies to treat the disease NOT the symptoms Galen’s theory wrong?
Identified that measles and scarlet fever were 5. Who was Sydenham and what did he do
different diseases to improve medicine?
Wrote the ‘Observations Medicae’, which described 6. Describe what the printing press was?
how to diagnose disease, however people didn’t Was it more efficient in comparison to
accept his ideas immediately, he was criticised handwriting books? Did it spread
information faster?
, Case study: The Great Plague 1665
The Great Plague caused approximately 75,000 deaths in London
Many cats were killed as they were believed to be a carrier, however, this made the
plague spread even quicker, because cats killed rats and the rats were spreading the
disease
Why didn’t people understand the cause of the Great Plague? What are the similarities of the Black Death in 1348
and the Great plague in 1665?
The cause of disease was person to person, however
there was no scientific evidence which could prove it I. People believed in Miasma, which was
yet. believed to have caused illnesses
II. Using a pomander (carrying herbs, sniffing the
How did they try to prevent the spread? herbs and bathing in them) which was used as
Physicians wore plague masks which looked similar to a prevention to counteract Miasma
a crow III. Bloodletting and purging used as a treatment
People required to 40 days of quarantine IV. Aloe vera and vinegar which was used as a
No public meetings- theatre and large funerals treatment
banned
Cats, dogs and pigeons killed as they were believed to
be carriers of disease What are the differences of the Black Death in 1348
and the Great plague in 1665?
How did people treat the disease?
In 1348 people didn’t quarantine and still went to
People believed in ‘transference’, so they would strap Church, while in 1665 people quarantined for 40 days
chicken to their buboes, as they though the disease and were banned from attending large gatherings.
would transfer to the chicken
Can you come up with any other differences judging
from the information given to you?
Review questions:
1. How many deaths were recorded from the Great Plague in London?
2. How did the Great Plague spread?
3. What was the cause of the Great Plague?
4. How did people try to treat the Great Plague?
5. How did people try to prevent themselves from getting the Great Plague?
6. What are some similarities of the Black Death and the Great Plague?
Exam questions:
Explain why there was so little change in medicine during the Middle Ages (12)
Explain why some changes took place in medical knowledge during the period c.1500-c.1700. (12)
Explain why there was little change in methods of treating and preventing disease during the period c.1500-
c.1700 (12)
‘The role of The Church was the main reason why there was so little change in medicine in the Middle Ages.’
How far do you agree? Explain your answer. (16)
, Industrial England c1700-c1900
Edward Jenner & Vaccinations
What was smallpox?
A deadly disease which mutilated humans, causing blisters, blindness and weakening the immune system and was spread
from person to person.
Many physicians would inoculate patients (mostly the rich) with a mild version of it. Inoculation was when a small pox
sufferer had their blister cut open and the pus was given to a healthy person by cutting their arm and infecting it with
pus.
What did Jenner discover?
Discovered that milkmaids who would get cowpox wouldn’t get smallpox. This led to Jenner taking some cowpox from a
cow named ‘Blossom’ and infected it into a boy called James Phipps. After the inoculation, he infected Phipps with small
pox, after he recovered, this made catching smallpox unlikely. Consequently, leading to Jenner creating the vaccine for
smallpox.
Why wasn’t the smallpox vaccine immediately successful in Britain?
He was competing with other doctors and many doctors who were jealous would hire artists to make illustrations which
would scare people from getting the vaccine, because they didn’t want to see Jenner become successful.
How did it become successful in Europe?
Napoleon made it compulsory for his army to have after seeing the importance of it and this led to the vaccines being
sent to many other countries.
What was the legacy of Jenner?
He didn’t want the money to become wealthy, instead he wanted to help medicine improve and help the poor by making
the vaccine free of charge and stayed in the countryside as a GP
1848 Public Health Act vs 1875 Public Health Act What was Jenner’s impact?
1848 1875 By 1800, 100,000 people had been
Edwin Chadwick Was made compulsory vaccinated
Chadwick believed that waste Water was clean 1852 the vaccine was compulsory
contributed to bad health, Sewerage systems Death rate dropped dramatically
which was a problem that improved 1979 World Health Organisation
needed to be solved because Provided new and clean announced that smallpox was
they needed factory workers to toilets wiped out across the world
be healthy Improved houses to
People didn’t support him, had prevent overcrowding
a Lassiez-faire attitude (leaving Improved public spaces
other people to deal with the Food was inspected However, doctors made mistakes by
problem) before being sold infecting people with smallpox first instead
He was unsuccessful, because People didn’t have a of cowpox first.
although the government tried laissez faire attitude
Christian groups were against it saying it
to keep the streets clean most anymore
people ignored this as it wasn’t was unnatural
compulsory
