The Black Death and Its Impact on Renaissance Medicine

The Black Death, a devastating plague that struck Europe in the mid-14th century, had a profound impact on medical thinking and practices during the Renaissance period. This section explores the nature of the disease, its perceived causes, and the various prevention and treatment methods employed.

Definition: The Black Death was a pandemic that killed approximately half of Europe's population in the 14th century.

Key points about the Black Death:

• Believed to be a combination of bubonic plague and pneumonic plague
• Spread by infected rats and their fleas, as well as through human-to-human transmission
• Had a mortality rate of almost 100% for the pneumonic form

Beliefs about the causes of the Black Death included:

• Miasma theory (bad air)
• Imbalance of the four humours
• Divine punishment
• Witchcraft

Prevention and treatment methods:

• Flagellants who whipped themselves as a form of penance
• Prayer for the ill
• Bloodletting to balance the humours

Highlight: The Black Death's impact on society and medicine was long-lasting, with outbreaks continuing into the 17th century.

William Harvey and the Discovery of Blood Circulation

This page focuses on William Harvey, an English doctor born in 1578, who made groundbreaking discoveries about blood circulation. His work further challenged ancient medical ideas and paved the way for modern understanding of the cardiovascular system.

Key points about William Harvey:

• Studied in Italy, where Vesalius had performed his dissections
• Worked in a hospital in London after returning to England
• Published a book about his ideas on the heart and blood circulation in 1628

Harvey's discoveries:

• Proved Galen's ideas about blood production and consumption were incorrect
• Demonstrated that blood is pumped around the body by the heart
• Discovered the role of valves in blood vessels to prevent backflow

Example: Harvey dissected frogs, which have a slow pulse, to observe and understand blood circulation.

Significance of Harvey's work:

• Further challenged Galen's long-accepted medical theories
• Encouraged other doctors to question and test ancient ideas
• Led to attempts at blood transfusions, although these were unsuccessful due to the unknown existence of blood groups

The Great Plague of 1665:

• Killed 100,000 people in London
• Caused by poor sanitation, leading to an increase in the black rat population
• Led to quarantine measures and the killing of cats and dogs, which inadvertently worsened the situation

Highlight: The Great Plague of 1665 demonstrated that despite medical advancements, society was still vulnerable to devastating epidemics.

Renaissance doctors:

• Were trained at universities and considered to offer the best medical care
• Still based diagnoses and treatments on the works of Galen and Hippocrates, including the theory of the four humours

Vocabulary: Humours - The four bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile) believed to determine a person's physical and mental qualities in ancient and medieval medicine.