Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
Prevention of Disease in Renaissance Britain (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Continuity of Ideas about Disease Prevention in the Renaissance - Summary
Methods of preventing illness developed from the medieval to the Renaissance period. The growing influence of science created new practices. People believed they could control their health by watching what they ate and protecting those with weaker constitutions. Pre-existing, logical theories became more accepted. Control of miasma as a method of prevention increased in popularity during the Renaissance. As did theories about the impact of weather conditions. Religion continued to dominate people’s opinions on staying healthy. The general population prayed and lived a morally good life to warn off illness. In times of epidemics, such as the Great Plague of 1665, the use of supernatural preventions only increased. Opinions on disease prevention changed little between the medieval to the Renaissance. Without an understanding of germs, people did not know how to avoid catching diseases. |
Superstitions
People still believed that the supernatural influenced their health
Many people prayed in an attempt to prevent illness
Other more rational ideas grew in influence:
Eating in moderation
Consideration of how strong you were when you were born (a person’s constitution
Regimen Sanitatis
Many people continued the practices outlined in Regimen Sanitatis to keep themselves healthy
Cleanliness was fundamental in disease prevention
However, bathing became less popular by the 16th century because:
Many stewes (public baths) were also brothels
Diseases such as syphilis spread quickly in the stewes
To maintain better health and cleanliness:
People changed their clothes more often
They moved away from areas with disease
Miasma & Weather Conditions
Miasma
Local governments targeted the removal of miasma
Minor criminals picked up rubbish from the streets as punishment
Fines were given to homeowners who did not clean up outside their house
Projects to drain swamps and bogs releasing bad fumes were set up
Control of miasma was still considered incredibly important to help the population remain healthy
Weather conditions
The idea that weather conditions could spread disease became more popular in the Renaissance
Barometers and thermometers monitored weather conditions over weeks and months
Epidemics of disease spread easier in the summer months than in winter
This led to the weather conditions being identified as a cause
AWAITING IMAGE
A diagram showing the changes and continuity of disease prevention in the Renaissance period
Worked Example
Explain one way in which prevention of illness in the years c1250-c1500 was different to prevention of illness in the years c1500-c1700
4 marks
Answers:
One way in which prevention of disease was different from the Medieval period to the Renaissance was an increased focus on rational solutions (1). In the Medieval period, the Church was very powerful (1), therefore people used supernatural prevention such as regular prayer and confession to attempt to stay well (1). However, in the Renaissance, the power of the Church was in decline. Many now looked into logical methods of prevention such as eating in moderation and considering a person’s constitution (1).
Exam Tip
When answering ‘Explain one way…’ questions, try to be as specific as you can in your examples. Pick a detailed feature of each time period that matches the difference or similarity you have highlighted. Being specific is much better than using multiple pieces of evidence
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