Download What approaches to disease and infection was there

What approaches to disease and infection was there in the Renaissance?
During the Renaissance people followed a mix of supernatural and natural approaches to dealing
with disease and infection which was very similar to the Middle Ages. There was very little
progress in this area of medicine
Practical ideas included the old Roman idea of The Four Humours which had been kept alive in
some English monasteries and the Islamic Empire and it had made a comeback in the Middle Ages.
The theory said that individuals would be ill when one of these four liquids, either black or yellow
bile, blood or phlegm was out of balance. To solve this they recommended purging, vomiting or
bleeding. The Four Humours was widely accepted and seemed to link to religious ideas and was
therefore promoted by the Church. Other practical ideas included a belief that Miasma, foul
smelling clouds from the depths of the Earth, caused illness. They also believed that the
positioning of the planets could be responsible for illness. During the Plague in 1665 a mass
slaughter of animals such as cats and dogs in London was done as many believed that such animals
would spread disease as well. Throughout the renaissance there was also a growth in the number
of apothecaries who were semi-trained individuals who would prescribe chemicals to treat the
body. Some of these worked through chance but others such as Mercury was poisonous.
There was also huge support for supernatural ideas to explain disease and infection. The
Christian church was particularly strong during the Middle Ages and this continued into the start
of the Renaissance. Individuals believed that illnesses could be punishments for sinning sent from
God and would therefore use praying as a remedy or go on holy pilgrimages. Some monks were
involved in healing and would care for the sick through the use of herbs, using some basic
practical ideas but mainly through praying for the patient’s soul. Although the church weakened
with Henry VIII’s reformation in 1536, the majority of individuals still blamed sinners for illness.
Other supernatural ideas included a belief in astrology and that individual’s star signs dictated
what illness they would suffer from.
Mark Scheme
Target – To show you understand the main ideas about treatment and theories of disease in
a particular time period.
Level 1: Answer will show the candidate recognises the main approaches to disease and infection
in a time period. Answer is simple statements or description that might be listed, eg. Briefly lists
general points about the time period with limited detail. (1 – 2 marks)
Level 2: Answer will explain and show detailed understanding of the time period including key
dates, events and people involved and put it into the big picture (context). Statements are
developed with specific examples that relate to how ideas and treatments of disease and
infection developed in time period (3 – 4 marks).