1. Romans Medical Renaissance
Were the medical advances made by the Romans more important than those made during the Medical Renaissance? (8)
In this question I must:
Romans
Medical Renaissance

2. The Romans and the Renaissance made many advances for medicine, both in terms of public and health and understanding of the body. It is clear however that the romans were the ones to first think logically and therefore I think they contributed the most.
The romans made many advances in public health. For example, the romans provided public baths and toilets in their cities. This was important because the romans were the first civilisation to think carefully about the public health of their people. Also the romans were important because they made a move away from spiritual medicine, using methods such as empirical observation, this helped the romans to tackle important problems rationally. However, the romans were limited in their contributions as much of their knowledge was lost after the fall of the empire. This meant that any progress they had made was lost for over 1000 years.
On the other hand the renaissance saw a period of great progress, particularly for human anatomy. Important doctors like Vesalius and Harvey made crucial discoveries about how the body worked, and published these for everyone to see. This was important because they focused on careful dissection to get the right details and challenged Galen. However, the renaissance could be seen as just a time of ideas and not practical solutions. The new ideas were often rejected as the church was still in control and people were clinging to old ideas. For example Harvey’s discovery of blocked circulation did not change the fact that most doctors still used bleeding as a treatment.
In conclusion, I think that …

3. Were the medical advances made by the Romans more important than those made during the Medical Renaissance? (8)
The Romans developed good public health systems, including aqueducts to bring fresh water to their growing systems.
The Romans made important advances in their public health, perhaps most significantly was the design and construction of sewage systems. This shows that the Romans associated dirt with disease, which made the important first step to clean public health.
Although Galen’s ideas about the human body were later proved incorrect by Vesalius and Harvey, it was the initial thought process and careful observation that made Galen so significant.
Vesalius carried out scientific experiments to prove that Galen’s ideas about the human anatomy were inaccurate.
The Renaissance discoveries were more significant than the Romans, as they were more widespread due to the invention of the printing press and public dissection, therefore allowing a wider acceptance of new ideas.
In the Renaissance anatomists like Vesalius and Harvey began to challenge old ideas.

4. Why did the Greeks make more progress in medicine than people in the Middle Ages? (8)
In this question I must:
Greeks
Middle Ages

5. Why did the Greeks make more progress in medicine than people in the Middle Ages? (8)
The Greeks used a natural approach to medicine, taking inspiration from philosophers like Aristotle, basing their understanding on logic and reason. The work of Hippocrates is a good example of this…
…However, people in the Middle Ages relied upon superstition. For example, they believed the black death was caused by the alignment of the planets.
Help box!
This meant that… This furthered progress because…
This shows that… This limited progress because…
This is important because… Therefore causing regress/ progress/stagnation because…
In comparison to… Significantly, this caused…

6. Who contributed more to the development of medicine, Jenner or Harvey
In this question I must:
Jenner
Harvey

7. Who contributed more to the development of medicine, Jenner or Harvey
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