Developments in Medicine During the Renaissance (AQA GCSE History)

How important was the Renaissance for the development of medicine? - Timeline & Summary

Timeline

The Renaissance was a very important period for the development of medicine because it marked the decline of the Church’s control over medical ideas. During Medieval times, the Church had heavily controlled medicine. They promoted the Theory of the Four Humours and discouraged challenges to ancient texts. However, in the Renaissance, people began questioning traditional ideas and looked for new ways to understand the human body. Scientists and doctors started to perform dissections, which had previously been limited, and they were able to study the body in greater detail. This shift led to breakthroughs in knowledge and a willingness to move away from relying only on ancient philosophers like Galen.

One of the most important factors in medical progress during the Renaissance was the invention of the printing press. This allowed medical ideas to spread more quickly than ever before. It also took the publication of books out of the control of the Church, reducing the censorship of ideas that previously existed. New discoveries, such as the use of microscopes to study microorganisms, helped scientists understand more about the causes of disease. The Renaissance also encouraged experimentation and observation, which improved medical knowledge and treatments.

What was the Renaissance?

• Renaissance is a French term which translates to ‘rebirth’

• This describes a period of new ideas about science, religion, art and architecture from the 16th century to the 18th century

• Some individuals became more curious about understanding disease

  • Humanism allowed scientists to disprove old ideas and develop evidence-based theories

  • Institutions like the Royal Society promoted collaboration between scientists

  • People began to focus on logical causes for illness rather than supernatural reasons

The Renaissance & the Church

• The Renaissance caused the power of the Church to decline

  • Humanism rejected God’s almighty power in favour of an individual’s control over their own fate

  • Christianity began to break into two different sects

    • Protestants

    • Catholics

Protestantism in England

• Protestantism was a movement which began in Germany led by Martin Luther in c.1520s

  • It accused the Catholic Church of corruption and ignoring the teachings of the Bible

  • Protestantism began to spread and some countries converted to the new religion England became Protestant in 1534 under King Henry VIII

How did Protestantism impact Renaissance medicine?

• The new Church lifted previous restrictions on practices like dissection, allowing more scientific progress

• The Church lifted its control of book publication

  • There was an increase in scientific textbooks

Medical developments in the Renaissance

• Scientists made significant medical developments in the Renaissance

The printing press

• Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press c.1440 

• The printing press required little training to operate

  • Blocks of texts and images called woodcuts were covered in ink and arranged under a piece of paper

  • The printing press lever was then lowered which applied pressure

  • The inked woodcut would then print the text and image onto the paper

• Scientists could publish and share their work much more easily

The microscope

• By 1683, there were more powerful microscopes

• These allowed scientists to view microorganisms 

  • Antony van Leeuwenheok studied plaque under a microscope

    • The tiny creatures or ‘animalcules’ he observed were the first sighting of bacteria

Exploration

• Maps, astrolabes and quadrants helped explorers accurately plot and navigate their journeys

• Explorers travelled across the world, especially to the Americas

  • They brought back new substances with medicinal qualities such as ginger

Anatomy

• Allowing human dissection led to more accurate drawings of the human anatomy 

• Dissection enabled:

  • Jan Baptiste van Helmont to gain a better understanding of the digestive system

  • English scientist William Harvey to discover the circulatory system

Surgery

• Weapons developed during the Renaissance such as:

  • mechanical crossbow

  • matchlock firearms

  • developments in cannons

• The development of weapons meant more people became injured in war

  • This caused more complex wounds and injuries that needed surgery