Explain why there were changes in the way ideas about the cause of disease and illness were
communicated in the period c1500-c1700.
One reason why is because of the printing press. This is because Johannes Gutenburg founded the
Printing Press in 1440 and so major change came during the period in which there was improvement
in literacy. This meant that more people read and wrote which meant that ideas could spread
further and more quickly, and so by 1500, there were hundreds of printing presses in Europe.
Furthermore, this resulted in information being spread quickly and accurately. This also meant texts
no longer had to be copied by hand, meaning there were fewer inconsistencies in the same version
of a text. As a result, scientists could now publish and share their work across Europe much faster
than when work had to be copied by hand. In addition, the Printing Press took book copying out of
hand in the church which signified a wider variety of subject were written about unlike in the
Medieval period, books were about religious topics. Moreover, the Church lot its power to prevent
ideas they disapproved of. Therefore, people could now publish works criticising Galen and this is
one reason to support why there was a change in the way illness and diseases were communicated.
Another reason is because of the Royal Society. This is because desire to explain the world in secular
terms led to the establishment of the Royal society. Here, scientists could talk to each-other about
new discoveries and discuss new ideas, and in 1662, King Charles II gave them royal charter which
meant that the royal supported their project. This meant that this Royal Charter raised their profiles
as more people sent work to be published and even donate money to the scientific work of the
society. Furthermore, in 1665, the society began to publish their scientific journal, called
philosophical transactions which was the world’s first scientific journal. The journal consisted of
summaries of experiment, letters and book reviews carried out by European scientists, for example,
the work of Leeuwenhoek, in which he described his observation of animalcules – like the criminals.
Also, the royal society offered funding for the translation of European funding material/texts in
which made their members write in English rather than Latin to make it accessible to everyone.
Therefore, the Royal Society made it possible for physicians and scientists to access and study each-
others research – important in the development of new ideas, and so another reason how diseases
and illness were communicated.
One last reason is because of humanism. This is because the development of humanism was
characterised by the longer learning. Humans could make up their minds when it came to
discovering the truth around them. Also, they rejected the idea that God was responsible for
everything, and the new translation of Galen and Hippocrates started to appear, which was during
the 16th century, where 590 editions of Galen’s writing were published. In addition, new
experimentation began to take place in the field of medicine, which was caused by the fact that the
Church had less authority in everyday life, and proof that Galen was wrong, and the human anatomy
was becoming widespread. This meant that new ideas were starting to gain support, however, it
would be long before it had an impact on medical treatment. Therefore, this is one last reason for
the change in the way diseases and illness were communicated.
, Explain why there was continuity in the way disease was treated in the period c1500-c1700?
One reason why is because of the attitudes in society. This is because as some herbal remedies
worked, it encouraged people to keep the old ways of treating illnesses as they didn’t want to
disband how they usually treated illnesses. In addition, Galen and the works of other ancient doctors
was still a central part of medical training for doctors in which they were taught to believe that they
were correct in every little detail. This meant that they weren’t encouraged to experiment or to
think for themselves about what caused disease or about how to treat diseases. It also meant that as
Doctors had believed in the complete accuracy of Galen’s work for so long that it was very hard to
change that view. Therefore, this is another reason why there was why there was continuity in the
way disease was treated
Another reason why is because of the Great Plague. This is because when the plague broke out,
patients used traditional medicine as they kept the old way of medicine, instead of finding a real
solution to cure them. Moreover, If you were religious, you would have thought it was a punishment
from God for mankind wickedness and so you would have received advice from physicians, where
they would offer prayer and repentance, quarantine you if you had the plague and advice you to
carry a pomander. Furthermore, people tried to keep the bad air moving or to overcome it with
other smells to create bonfires in the street. This meant that people still used the same methods as
they used in the Black Death to prevent the plague which hindered progression with the continuity
of the same treatment. Therefore, this is another reason why there was continuity in the way
disease was treated.
One last reason is because of the Church. This is because they were still the main institution of
power at that time, in which they preached that God controlled very aspect of life, in which meant
that God was responsible for you having a disease or illness (as a result of probably sinning).
Moreover, people would pray for forgiveness instead of seek medical attention and people didn’t
want to go to hell criticising the Church. This meant that the church still had influence over the
people of England and also, even though the theory of four humours had been discredited, it was
still followed by the general population of England as the Church had promoted it. Moreover, people
thought that since medicine was always done this way, there was no need to change it. Therefore,
this is one last reason why there was continuity in the way disease was treated.
