Edexcel GCSE History - Renaissance Medicine, | Latest Question and Answers| 2025/2026 Academic Marksheet| Verified 100%

Edexcel GCSE History - Renaissance Medicine, | Latest Question and Answers| 2025/2026 Academic Marksheet| Verified 100% How did ideas about the cause of disease begin to change during the Renaissance? Fewer people believed in supernatural causes or imbalance of humours—more started to think about things like miasma and external causes. To what extent did the printing press affect medical progress? It helped ideas spread much faster so people could challenge old beliefs like Galen’s—but not everyone could read or afford books. Explain why Vesalius’ work was a turning point in anatomy. He proved Galen wrong by dissecting real bodies and publishing accurate diagrams—it showed people they had to check for themselves. Why did the work of Paré improve surgical practice? He used a gentler cream for wounds and tied arteries instead of using boiling oil—this made surgery less painful and reduced infection. How significant was Harvey’s discovery about the circulation of blood? 2 It proved the heart pumped blood around the body, which changed how people saw the body—but it didn’t improve treatment straight away. Assess the impact of human dissection on medical knowledge. Dissection let people see the body for themselves and notice mistakes in Galen’s work, which slowly led to better anatomy knowledge. How far did beliefs about illness stay the same between 1500 and 1700? Some old ideas like miasma stuck around, but people started questioning astrology and divine punishment more than before. Why did the Royal Society matter for science and medicine? It encouraged scientists to experiment, share results, and publish ideas—basically made science more public and collaborative. Explain how the Great Plague (1665) showed both change and continuity in dealing with disease. People still used charms and miasma ideas, but this time the government took more action like shutting up houses and banning public events. How did doctors in the Renaissance period train differently compared to the Middle Ages? They read new books, dissected bodies, and were more likely to question old ideas—though university training still leaned on Galen. 3 In what ways did Renaissance art help the study of medicine? Artists used more detailed and realistic styles, so medical drawings became more accurate and helpful for learning anatomy. Explain how the invention of the microscope influenced medical understanding. It let people see tiny things like blood cells—but they still couldn’t see bacteria properly, so germ theory was still a long way off. Why did old treatments like bleeding and purging remain popular in this period? Many still believed in the Four Humours, and doctors didn’t yet have better cures—so they stuck with what they knew. Assess the role of hospitals during the Renaissance period. They started focusing more on treatment instead of just prayer—but many were still run by the Church and lacked proper doctors. How did Thomas Sydenham contribute to medical progress? He believed in observing patients and treating symptoms, not just relying on old books—this made medicine more scientific. To what extent did religious influence on medicine decline between 1500–1700?