2.2.1
Changing Methods of Treatment
Changing Methods of Treatment
Changing Methods of Treatment
In the Renaissance, methods of treatment began to change.
Doctors
Doctors
- Doctors in the Renaissance period still didn’t have much training.
- They still used old methods that people like Harvey thought were ineffective but some began to use more modern techniques.
Lack of alternatives
Lack of alternatives
- The printing press and the works of Harvey, Pare, Vesalius and Sydenham helped to spread new ideas.
- However, blood transfusions only offered a solution to treat patients using Harvey’s theory of circulation in 1628.
Religion and supernatural
Religion and supernatural
- Europe in the renaissance was still a very religious place.
- Doctors still believed that supernatural things caused illness.
- Pilgrimages and prayers were still prescribed to cure illnesses.
- The people believed the ‘Royal Touch’ could cure disease.
- People would flock to the King to be cured of scrofula.
- People still sought wise women and apothecaries to cure disease.
Advances in Medicine
Advances in Medicine
- There were advances in approaches to medicine.
- Hospitals began to focus on treating patients, not just caring for them.
- Lots of towns had pharmacies.
- Books were being published which covered how to treat illness at home.
Quackery
Quackery
- Quackery was a form of medicine based on spectacles and displays.
- Many people viewed this as fraudulent medicine and this became more common in the 17th and 18th century.
- Quacks claimed their medicines could cure everything but they were usually ineffective.
- Quacks often gave patients depressants like opium, which gave patients the impression that they were getting better. In reality, they were giving their patients an addiction.
The Work of Thomas Sydenham
The Work of Thomas Sydenham
Thomas Sydenham was born in 1624. He was a British physician who advanced the use of the scientific process in medicine. His records were a first stage to the statistics kept by William Farr over 100 years later.
Scientific observation
Scientific observation
- Sydenham prioritised treating patients and observing the outcomes rather than learning from books.
- He recorded his observations of patients' illnesses and treatments and this allowed him to see patterns between illnesses and treatments.
Classification of diseases and diagnosis
Classification of diseases and diagnosis
- Sydenham used his records and the patterns he spotted to classify (sort) diseases into different types based on which symptoms a patient had.
- For example, Sydenham showed that measles and scarlet fever were different types of diseases.
Writings
Writings
- In 1676, he published a book named "Medical Observations".
- Medical Observations was used by doctors for centuries.
- He described different illnesses and suggested ways to treat them (e.g for illnesses like gout).
1Medicine in Medieval England
1.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
1.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
2The Medical Renaissance in England
2.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
2.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
3Medicine in 18th & 19th Century Britain
3.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
3.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
4Medicine in Modern Britain
4.1Modern Understanding of Disease
4.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
5Treatment in WW1
6Themes in Medicine
7Some Extra Context (Not Compulsory for Exam)
7.1Medieval Medicine
Jump to other topics
1Medicine in Medieval England
1.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
1.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
2The Medical Renaissance in England
2.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
2.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
3Medicine in 18th & 19th Century Britain
3.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
3.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
4Medicine in Modern Britain
4.1Modern Understanding of Disease
4.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
5Treatment in WW1
6Themes in Medicine
7Some Extra Context (Not Compulsory for Exam)
7.1Medieval Medicine
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