Medicine Through Time

Introduction

Modern

 Renaissance Medicine

The Renaissance period was around 1500-1750. Renaissance means ‘re-birth,’ it means a rebirth of learning, free from the controls of rulers and the Catholic Church. People could go back to trying out ideas and investigations, and revisiting Egyptian, Greek and Roman ideas that worked.

In England from the 1530s Henry VIII set up the Protestant Church, England was not a Catholic country under the power of the Church. This meant less control, freedom of education from monasteries and also dissection was permitted. People began to question the old ideas, and replacing them with new ideas.

New technology such as the Printing Press lead to a revolution in how quickly books and so ideas could be spread and shared. Da Vinci made careful studies of the human body theses observations were printed and doctors could refer to them when treating patients. Microscopes and telescopes as well as pumps also advanced knowledge and ideas.

King Charles II was a patron of science and established the Royal Society in 1661 where scientists and leading thinkers could get together to share ideas and conduct experiments.

 As countries funded exploration of new lands, new plants and animals were discovered and new peoples and tribes were studied for new ideas. International trade increased as war and conflict reduced.

 Renaissance Crossword

Matching Exercise

Vesalius?Harvey?Pare?

Key Questions

Agents of Change

Biographies

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Last updated: 15/12/07 23:00