Development in Medicine During the

Renaissance
 Introduction
Renaissance was a period of ‘re-birth’. An era where tradition was
challenged and numerous new ideas formed. This affected society in
numerous ways and has had a lasted impact. The Renaissance saw the
invention of the printing press, in Germany. This invention had a massive
impact on medicine and allowed the anatomists of the age, such as Vesalius,
to have their work mass produced and distributed. The impact on learning
was immense
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• The early 16th century saw the start of the Medical Renaissance. Late in
the 17th century, medical researchers kept up their Renaissance-inspired
practises. Several variables affected the Medical Renaissance's progress.
The use of printed books using moveable type in Europe in the middle of
the 15th century made it possible for the spread of medical theories and
anatomical representations. One of the earliest groups of academics to
receive most of the credit for the beginning of the Medical Renaissance is
Linacre, followed by Erasmus, Leonicello, and Sylvius.
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• The publication of De humani corporis fabrica (On the Fabric of the
Human Body) by Andreas Vesalius in 1543 comes next. Through the more
accepting attitudes of Renaissance humanism, a better understanding of
the original works of Galen in particular, developed into the studied
medicine tradition. control of the teachings by religion of universities and
the medical community decreased, making dissection more frequent.
 LEONARDO DA VINCI
• His research centred around his desire to learn more about how the human
brain processes visual and sensory information and how that connects to
the soul. Some of da Vinci's research involved studying vision. He
believed that visual information entered the body through the eye, then
continued by sending nerve impulses through the optic nerve, and
eventually reaching the soul. Da Vinci subscribed to the ancient notion
that the soul was housed in the brain.
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• He did research on the role of the spinal cord in humans by studying

frogs. He noted that as soon as the frog’s medulla of the spine is
broken, the frog would die. This led him to believe that the spine is the
basis for the sense of touch, cause of movement, and the origin of
nerves. As a result of his studies on the spinal cord, he also came to the
conclusion that all peripheral nerves begin from the spinal cord. Da
Vinci also did some research on the sense of smell. He is credited with
being the first to define the olfactory nerve as one of the cranial nerves
 ANDREAS VESALIUS

• The illustrations and research of Vesalius are incredibly

detailed and accurate. Learn about his methods and the
impact of his work here. An anatomist, Vesalius’ work
led to an improved understanding of what the inside of
the human body looked like. He challenged accepted
norms.
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• He wrote around 14 books on his findings in anatomy, including his best
known book De humani corporis fabrica. It was revolutionary because of
the accuracy and precision of his descriptions and images of organs and
would refute Galen's belief that human anatomy is closely related to apes.
He wrote around 14 books on his findings in anatomy, including his best
known book De humani corporis fabrica. It was revolutionary because of
the accuracy and precision of his descriptions and images of organs and
would refute Galen's belief that human anatomy is closely related to apes
 Continued
• the book gave clear identification of the organs in the human body while
also removing the aspects that he found flawed with Galen's teachings.
• Vesalius was an important part of the Medical Renaissance. He is
remembered as a critic of the inaccurate teachings of Galen, and one of
the founders of modern anatomy.
 WILLIAM HARVEY

• Discover how Harvey made his discoveries about

the circulation of blood. What was the impact at the
time? Harvey was a renowned scientist in his time.
His work on the Circulation of blood was
groundbreaking, correcting mistakes made by
Galen. Like Vesalius, he challenged accepted ideas
about the body. Again, the impact of his work in his
own lifetime was limited
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• he is credited as the first person in the Western world to give quantitative arguments
for the circulation of blood around the body.William Harvey's extensive work on the
body's circulation can be found in the written work titles, "The Motu Cordis
• This work opens up with clear definitions of anatomy as well as types of anatomy
which clearly outlined a universal meaning of these words for various Renaissance
physicians. Anatomy, as defined by William Harvey is, "the faculty that by ocular
inspection and dissection [grasps] the uses and actions of the parts." [12] In other words,
to be able to identify the actions or roles each part of the body plays in the overall
function of the body by dissection, followed by visual identification. These were the
foundation for the further research on the heart and blood vessels.
 PARE

Find out how a desperate battlefield situation led to Pare becoming one of
the preeminent surgeons of his day. A surgeon for the French army, Pare
became one of the leading surgeons of his day. Faced with the horrors of
war and limited supplies, he concocted a ‘solution’ that was anticipated to
be little more than putting men’s minds at ease. His quick thinking, albeit
to make men think that something, no matter how desperate, was being
done to help them, led to a major breakthrough. Pare then went on to be a
prolific writer about surgery and made huge advances in the field.
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• Paré was a French surgeon, anatomist and an inventor of
surgical instruments. He was a military surgeon during the French
campaigns in Italy of 1533–36. Paré turned to an ancient Roman remedy:
turpentine, egg yolk and oil of roses. He applied it to the wounds and
found that it relieved pain and sealed the wound effectively. Paré also
introduced the ligatures of arteries; silk threads would be used to tie up the
arteries of amputated limbs to try to stop the bleeding. As antiseptics had
not yet been invented this method led to an increased fatality rate and was
abandoned by medical professionals of the time
 GREAT PLAGUE

Learn about the spread of the disease and the beliefs that people had
about it. Plague had struck numerous times in the past, you can read
about the Black Death here and Plague in general here. With science
having made much progress, had people’s attitudes about plagues
changed Had treatment altered Were methods of prevention any different
This source-based exercise uses contemporary materials to examine the
Great Plague.
 HIERONYMUS FABRICIUS
• an anatomist and surgeon that prepared a human and animal anatomy atlas
and these illustrations were used in his work, Tabulae Pictae. Fabricus
focused on the human brain and the fissures that are inside of the brain.
In Tabulae Pictae, he described the cerebral fissure that separates the
temporal lobe from the frontal lobe. He also studied veins and was the
first to discover the valves inside of veins.
 Conclusion
• The Medical Renaissance, in summary, included a great number
of accomplished physicians and surgeons who made especial
contributions to human anatomy; Vesalius assembled detailed
anatomical information; Paré advanced surgical techniques; and
Harvey, a medical genius, detailed the circulatory anatomy and
physiology.