History Medicine Notes
Middle Ages: 1250 – 1499 Factors that caused changed:
Causes The church
The government
Education (or lack of it)
Attitudes (respect for tradition)
Individuals
Science & Technology
Acronym = Common Goats Eat Apples In School Toilets
Prevention Treatment
Reasons for illness:
Galen’s (Greek doctor during Roman empire) theory of four humours: blood, phlegm, black bile,
yellow bile. Illness would be caused by an imbalance in the four humours. Imbalances were caused
through purging excess humours. People believed this as they could see blood, phlegm and
throwing up and they saw this in action and seemed to be logical sense.
God to punish you for your sins.
Miasmas: Odour smelling bad, and they breathed it in so would be poisonous and make them ill.
Planets aligning together as astrology was important.
Treatment & Prevention:
Herbal remedies: Made from plants
Purging with leeches
Keep air moving by ringing bells or keeping birds to fly around the house.
Praying to G-d. Government brought in quarantine laws.
Black Plague 1348-49:
Cause: People didn’t know that the disease was carried by rats and spread by fleas.
Prevention of the plague: King Edward III ordered services and processions in every church to ask god for
forgiveness. People punished themselves in public and begged for forgiveness and praying to god and
flagellants whipped themselves publicly in the street. Ships were also made to wait 40 days before landing –
they were quarantined. The symptoms included exhaustion, high temperatures, swellings and difficulty in
breathing.
Treatment: There was no effective treatment. People relied on prayer or ‘magical cures.’ Some people would
use strong-smelling poises to avoid ‘foul air.’ 1/3 to half the population died.
Healers:
Physicians – Physicians trained at universities for 7 years and would study books that Galen and other
Greek Physicians wrote. There were only 100 of them in the year 1300 and only the rich could afford
to use them.
Surgeons – they did not go to universities but trained as apprentices though observing other
surgeons. They would read books written by previous surgeons. They performed bleeding surgery,
removing tumours, sewing up wounds and making splints for broken bones. They might also
amputate limbs or remove bladder stones.
Apothecaries – mixed ingredients and ointments made for physicians. They learned from other
apothecaries. They would sell them to the sick.
Women and midwives – in some town's midwives were apprentices. Women could qualify as
surgeons by working as apprentices. They were not allowed to be physicians.
, Hospitals – started in the 11th century and cared for old people which was run by monks and nuns.
They provided food, water and prayers. Some 13th century hospitals founded by guilds and wealthy
to care for guild members and local citizens. Rarely admitted sick. By 1400, there was 500 hospitals.
There were many problems in trying to keep the towns clean such as there being too many animals like cattle
and sheep which left trails of dung. Solution: Small numbers of rakers were employed to clean the street. Dirty
water filled supplies because of human waste. Solution: Gloucester was one of many places where
monasteries and townspeople collaborates to bring fresh water in public wells. Waste and litter which people
dropped in the streets and used them as latrines. Solution: Laws were passed to punish throwing waste and
public latrines were built in Norwich and other towns. Latrines and cesspits were sometimes built by house
owners and were near water supplies which they leaked into. Solution: Regulations were introduced about
where to build private latrines and cesspits were lined with brick or stone and so less likely to leak.
Why there was continuity:
Factor Evidence Explanation
Church One powerful and wealthy church with No one opposed the church as the bible
Priests and Bishops controlling education. was believed to be all true.
Believed god sent disease from a very Because they had been taught from such a
young age. young age it caused a vicious cycle which
Believed Galen’s theories were right. meant no one would challenge it and as
god made no mistakes if you did challenge
it you were executed.
They though Galen was correct but
instead they were making people more ill
and so treatments didn’t get better.
Government The king’s main focus was to defend the This meant no money was going into
country in wartime and punish medical advancement and so hard for
lawbreakers. Taxes were only raised to doctors to come up with new remedies
pay for wars. and no incentive to waste their money
when they had been taught ‘what was
right’ at school. Whilst streets were meant
to kept clean and healthy by the local
council, they had little money.
Education Church controlled education, especially in There were very few doctors who were all
universities where physicians were trained in the wrong beliefs, and it cost a
trained. By 15th Century 50% of people in lot of money to train as one. Surgeons
large towns could read. Books most were being trained as apprentices and so
common were prayer and religious books. there was an endless loop where doctors
would train them incorrectly and everyone
was too scared to challenge ideas.
No reason to challenge ideas as they were
given ‘proof’ everything was correct like
dissections by Galen.
Attitudes Books were being made by hand and so Doctors didn’t question their ideas as they
knowledge wasn’t as easily spread, and seemed logical and people who may have
people were just taught what was written come up with ideas could not spread them
in the bible. as they were written by hand.
Individuals Ideas seemed to be correct and logical and If children learnt incorrectly from young
reassuring so would teach their children age, they wouldn’t know anything
this. People’s symptoms backed the 4 different, and treatments seemed to be
humours. working.
Renaissance: 1500 – 1700
Renaissance – the rebirth and reborn of old ideas.
They thought the cause of disease was still because of the 4 humours, god and miasma and superstition. The
only thing they were almost correct about was miasma but not for the reason of the bad air which they
thought but because that’s how diseases are transmitted.
Prevention and Treatments: They would use purging, bleeding, praying, herbal remedies and superstitious
things such as anything random. Hospitals treat the sick like St. Bartholomeus. Quarantining, herbal
remedies and praying. Cleaning the air. Between 1660 and 1682, 92,000 people visited the King’s court and
, thought that if Charles II touched them, they would be cured from scrofula as the King was the representative
of god on earth as they believed in the divine right of kings.
Black plague 1665:
75,000 people died in 1665.
Treatments: people prayed for the sick, gave them magical or religious charms to wear or cut open
the buboes to let the pus out.
Prevention: strong-smelling herbs were hung in the doorway to avoid the miasmas and have them
under their noses. When they had to buy food, coins were soaked in vinegar to avoid passing on
plague. Chewing tobacco hoping the strength of the smell would give them immunity.
Government: quarantine laws, large crowds banned, stray animals killed (40,000 dogs and 200,000
cats), searchers appointed to check for the plague and streets cleaned.
However, the laws were hard to enforce as people ignored the rules, Parliament refused to turn the
orders into laws, beggars and the homeless who caught the plague were on the street and so it was
spreading, and the King and his council left London and were concerned about his safety.
The end of the plague came in 1666 with the Great Fire of London where the buildings and animals carrying
the disease were killed.
The importance of the printing press (invented in 1450s and all over in1500s)– the birth of the printing press
meant that books could be printed faster and more cheaply so knowledge could be expanded. This meant that
Andreas Vesalius’ ideas on anatomy and William Harvey’s could be read. Only the Church before could afford
to produce books and so everyone learnt their ideas about medicine but now everyone could expand their
ideas.
Andreas Vesalius (1514) – Dissected the body and proved the human jawbone is made from one bone (Galen
said 2), the breastbone has 3 parts (Galen said 7), and the blood does not flow into the heart through invisible
holes in the septum. He published ‘Fabric of the Human Body’ with his findings so that they could spread.
William Harvey (1578) – He dissected live cold-blooded animals and analysed their heartbeat. He also tried to
pump water into a human body through the heart but it failed and so it meant there is only a one-way system.
He also discovered the valves in the heart which carried blood and not blood and air like Galen said they did.
Published the book ‘An Anatomical Account of the Motion of the Heart and Blood.’ His ideas were gradually
accepted as many thoughts he was mad and as he challenged Galen. His discoveries did not make anyone
better.
By proving Galen wrong people were starting to challenge his ideas and that maybe they weren’t all correct.
Sydenham (1624) – Thomas Sydenham made an impact in how to diagnose disease, he knew that each disease
was different, and each disease needed different medicine to cure it. Health history and that doctor should
take a pulse was thought by him.
Scientific Developments – Royal Society was founded in 1660 and they sponsored scientists to research about
physics, botany and medicine and helped to spread new ideas.
Medicine in the eighteenth to nineteenth century: 1700 – 1900
Edward Jenner (1790s)
Breakthrough: Smallpox was running rampant and killed more children than any other disease and left
survivors scared. In the 1790s he observed some milkmaids who had cowpox and realised that they never had
any scars from smallpox. From this he derived that if you had caught cowpox, you could prevent smallpox. He
then tested this out in an experiment on James Phillips in 1796 and was successful so published his findings in
1798 and named it a vaccination.
Middle Ages: 1250 – 1499 Factors that caused changed:
Causes The church
The government
Education (or lack of it)
Attitudes (respect for tradition)
Individuals
Science & Technology
Acronym = Common Goats Eat Apples In School Toilets
Prevention Treatment
Reasons for illness:
Galen’s (Greek doctor during Roman empire) theory of four humours: blood, phlegm, black bile,
yellow bile. Illness would be caused by an imbalance in the four humours. Imbalances were caused
through purging excess humours. People believed this as they could see blood, phlegm and
throwing up and they saw this in action and seemed to be logical sense.
God to punish you for your sins.
Miasmas: Odour smelling bad, and they breathed it in so would be poisonous and make them ill.
Planets aligning together as astrology was important.
Treatment & Prevention:
Herbal remedies: Made from plants
Purging with leeches
Keep air moving by ringing bells or keeping birds to fly around the house.
Praying to G-d. Government brought in quarantine laws.
Black Plague 1348-49:
Cause: People didn’t know that the disease was carried by rats and spread by fleas.
Prevention of the plague: King Edward III ordered services and processions in every church to ask god for
forgiveness. People punished themselves in public and begged for forgiveness and praying to god and
flagellants whipped themselves publicly in the street. Ships were also made to wait 40 days before landing –
they were quarantined. The symptoms included exhaustion, high temperatures, swellings and difficulty in
breathing.
Treatment: There was no effective treatment. People relied on prayer or ‘magical cures.’ Some people would
use strong-smelling poises to avoid ‘foul air.’ 1/3 to half the population died.
Healers:
Physicians – Physicians trained at universities for 7 years and would study books that Galen and other
Greek Physicians wrote. There were only 100 of them in the year 1300 and only the rich could afford
to use them.
Surgeons – they did not go to universities but trained as apprentices though observing other
surgeons. They would read books written by previous surgeons. They performed bleeding surgery,
removing tumours, sewing up wounds and making splints for broken bones. They might also
amputate limbs or remove bladder stones.
Apothecaries – mixed ingredients and ointments made for physicians. They learned from other
apothecaries. They would sell them to the sick.
Women and midwives – in some town's midwives were apprentices. Women could qualify as
surgeons by working as apprentices. They were not allowed to be physicians.
, Hospitals – started in the 11th century and cared for old people which was run by monks and nuns.
They provided food, water and prayers. Some 13th century hospitals founded by guilds and wealthy
to care for guild members and local citizens. Rarely admitted sick. By 1400, there was 500 hospitals.
There were many problems in trying to keep the towns clean such as there being too many animals like cattle
and sheep which left trails of dung. Solution: Small numbers of rakers were employed to clean the street. Dirty
water filled supplies because of human waste. Solution: Gloucester was one of many places where
monasteries and townspeople collaborates to bring fresh water in public wells. Waste and litter which people
dropped in the streets and used them as latrines. Solution: Laws were passed to punish throwing waste and
public latrines were built in Norwich and other towns. Latrines and cesspits were sometimes built by house
owners and were near water supplies which they leaked into. Solution: Regulations were introduced about
where to build private latrines and cesspits were lined with brick or stone and so less likely to leak.
Why there was continuity:
Factor Evidence Explanation
Church One powerful and wealthy church with No one opposed the church as the bible
Priests and Bishops controlling education. was believed to be all true.
Believed god sent disease from a very Because they had been taught from such a
young age. young age it caused a vicious cycle which
Believed Galen’s theories were right. meant no one would challenge it and as
god made no mistakes if you did challenge
it you were executed.
They though Galen was correct but
instead they were making people more ill
and so treatments didn’t get better.
Government The king’s main focus was to defend the This meant no money was going into
country in wartime and punish medical advancement and so hard for
lawbreakers. Taxes were only raised to doctors to come up with new remedies
pay for wars. and no incentive to waste their money
when they had been taught ‘what was
right’ at school. Whilst streets were meant
to kept clean and healthy by the local
council, they had little money.
Education Church controlled education, especially in There were very few doctors who were all
universities where physicians were trained in the wrong beliefs, and it cost a
trained. By 15th Century 50% of people in lot of money to train as one. Surgeons
large towns could read. Books most were being trained as apprentices and so
common were prayer and religious books. there was an endless loop where doctors
would train them incorrectly and everyone
was too scared to challenge ideas.
No reason to challenge ideas as they were
given ‘proof’ everything was correct like
dissections by Galen.
Attitudes Books were being made by hand and so Doctors didn’t question their ideas as they
knowledge wasn’t as easily spread, and seemed logical and people who may have
people were just taught what was written come up with ideas could not spread them
in the bible. as they were written by hand.
Individuals Ideas seemed to be correct and logical and If children learnt incorrectly from young
reassuring so would teach their children age, they wouldn’t know anything
this. People’s symptoms backed the 4 different, and treatments seemed to be
humours. working.
Renaissance: 1500 – 1700
Renaissance – the rebirth and reborn of old ideas.
They thought the cause of disease was still because of the 4 humours, god and miasma and superstition. The
only thing they were almost correct about was miasma but not for the reason of the bad air which they
thought but because that’s how diseases are transmitted.
Prevention and Treatments: They would use purging, bleeding, praying, herbal remedies and superstitious
things such as anything random. Hospitals treat the sick like St. Bartholomeus. Quarantining, herbal
remedies and praying. Cleaning the air. Between 1660 and 1682, 92,000 people visited the King’s court and
, thought that if Charles II touched them, they would be cured from scrofula as the King was the representative
of god on earth as they believed in the divine right of kings.
Black plague 1665:
75,000 people died in 1665.
Treatments: people prayed for the sick, gave them magical or religious charms to wear or cut open
the buboes to let the pus out.
Prevention: strong-smelling herbs were hung in the doorway to avoid the miasmas and have them
under their noses. When they had to buy food, coins were soaked in vinegar to avoid passing on
plague. Chewing tobacco hoping the strength of the smell would give them immunity.
Government: quarantine laws, large crowds banned, stray animals killed (40,000 dogs and 200,000
cats), searchers appointed to check for the plague and streets cleaned.
However, the laws were hard to enforce as people ignored the rules, Parliament refused to turn the
orders into laws, beggars and the homeless who caught the plague were on the street and so it was
spreading, and the King and his council left London and were concerned about his safety.
The end of the plague came in 1666 with the Great Fire of London where the buildings and animals carrying
the disease were killed.
The importance of the printing press (invented in 1450s and all over in1500s)– the birth of the printing press
meant that books could be printed faster and more cheaply so knowledge could be expanded. This meant that
Andreas Vesalius’ ideas on anatomy and William Harvey’s could be read. Only the Church before could afford
to produce books and so everyone learnt their ideas about medicine but now everyone could expand their
ideas.
Andreas Vesalius (1514) – Dissected the body and proved the human jawbone is made from one bone (Galen
said 2), the breastbone has 3 parts (Galen said 7), and the blood does not flow into the heart through invisible
holes in the septum. He published ‘Fabric of the Human Body’ with his findings so that they could spread.
William Harvey (1578) – He dissected live cold-blooded animals and analysed their heartbeat. He also tried to
pump water into a human body through the heart but it failed and so it meant there is only a one-way system.
He also discovered the valves in the heart which carried blood and not blood and air like Galen said they did.
Published the book ‘An Anatomical Account of the Motion of the Heart and Blood.’ His ideas were gradually
accepted as many thoughts he was mad and as he challenged Galen. His discoveries did not make anyone
better.
By proving Galen wrong people were starting to challenge his ideas and that maybe they weren’t all correct.
Sydenham (1624) – Thomas Sydenham made an impact in how to diagnose disease, he knew that each disease
was different, and each disease needed different medicine to cure it. Health history and that doctor should
take a pulse was thought by him.
Scientific Developments – Royal Society was founded in 1660 and they sponsored scientists to research about
physics, botany and medicine and helped to spread new ideas.
Medicine in the eighteenth to nineteenth century: 1700 – 1900
Edward Jenner (1790s)
Breakthrough: Smallpox was running rampant and killed more children than any other disease and left
survivors scared. In the 1790s he observed some milkmaids who had cowpox and realised that they never had
any scars from smallpox. From this he derived that if you had caught cowpox, you could prevent smallpox. He
then tested this out in an experiment on James Phillips in 1796 and was successful so published his findings in
1798 and named it a vaccination.
