Treatments in Renaissance Britain (AQA GCSE History)

How effective were treatments in Renaissance Britain? - Summary

In Renaissance Britain, treatments for illnesses were only somewhat effective because people still lacked a clear understanding of what caused diseases. Germ Theory had not been discovered yet, so many treatments were based on old ideas like the Four Humours or miasma.

There were also no chemical cures to treat infections, meaning that even minor illnesses could become deadly. However, there were some advances during this time. Herbal remedies continued to be popular, and some were effective. For example, cinchona bark was used to treat malaria. This contained quinine, which is used in modern-day malaria treatments. This was a significant step forward because it worked, even though people didn’t fully understand why.

Quackery was a major problem during the Renaissance. There were no government regulations on who could create cures. As a result, many desperate people fell victim to quackery, wasting money on treatments that did not work. Some quacks even used dangerous substances like mercury, which could harm patients instead of helping them.

Scientific treatments in the Renaissance

Transference

• Transference is the idea that touching an object or another animal could move a disease from one thing to another

• Using this idea, many physicians prescribed the following treatments:

  • rubbing onions on a wart in the belief the wart would transfer to the onion

  • strapping live chickens onto buboes in the belief that the plague would transfer into the chicken

  • sleeping with a sheep to give the patient’s fever to the sheep

• Whilst these treatments were ineffective, it was the beginning of epidemiology (the study of how diseases spread)

Iatrochemistry

• latrochemistry became increasingly popular in the 17th century

  • It stemmed from experimenting with metals to create chemical cures

• The Pharmacopoeia Londinensis (1618) suggested remedies which included metals

  • It included over 2000 remedies using 122 different chemical combinations

• Historical records highlight the benefits of using antimony as a chemical cure:

  • in small doses, it caused a patient to sweat

  • in large doses, it causes vomiting

  • too much pure antimony was poisonous

  • a compound known as antimony potassium tartrate became incredibly popular after stories circulated that it cured Louis XIV of France from typhoid fever

• Within this period, scientists focused on creating a chemical cure for syphilis

  • They experimented with guaiac wood and mercury

  • No chemical cures proved to be effective

  • It remained a dangerous threat to the health of the people

Natural treatments in the Renaissance

• Herbal remedies remained popular in the Renaissance

• Exploration meant that new ingredients were used as remedies such as:

  • lemon and limes to treat scurvy

  • the bark of the Cinchona tree to treat malaria

• People continued to use sweet smells to warn off miasma

• Humoural treatments, such as bloodletting, remained popular with people in Renaissance Britain

Supernatural treatments in the Renaissance

• People still believed in the power of the King's touch

• In times of plague, people continued to:

  • believe that astrology caused the disease

  • pray to God for protection

  • wear charms to warn off 'evil spirits'

• However, as scientific theories and treatments improved, people relied less and less on supernatural treatments

Quackery

• Fake doctors with no medical qualifications were called 'quacks'

  • ‘Quack’ is short for ‘Quacksalver.’ The word originates from Dutch:

    • ‘quacken’ means ‘to croak’, referring to how much they boasted

    • ‘salve’ means ‘to rub with ointment’, referencing the remedies they would sell

• The background of each ‘quack’ would differ:

  • some were businessmen wanting to make money

  • some had medical training but did not hold full medical degrees

• The quack doctors preyed on the general public by selling famous ’cures’ for the plague

  • The cures were mostly ineffective

    • Many remedies contained honey or alcohol which relieved pain in the short term but possessed no healing properties

  • Quack doctors continued to be a problem in England until the 20th century

    • They often gained influence in times of fear and national health emergencies