Renaissance BreakthroughsTheoretical Advances

The Birth of the Renaissance• Renaissance

– Rebirth– Revisit Classical ideas

• Want to copy Greek and Roman styles

– Fall of Byzantium, 1453• Classically trained scholars flee

Turks• Move to Italy

– Reconquest of Spain• Library of Cordoba

– Italian City States• Competition to outdo each

other

Improving on the Classical World

• New technologies / techniques available• Growing confidence• Re-examine Original Latin and Greek

Texts– Notice some errors / inconsistencies

• Attempt to improve on Classical techniques

• Inquisitive and experimental

How to re-examine the world

• Investigation– Columbus

• Hmmm, I wonder if I can prove the world is round?

• Observation– Copernicus

• The stars and planets are moving in the wrong direction if the earth is the centre of the Universe

• Experimentation– Galileo

• Hmmm, If I put these two lenses together in a tube, I wonder what will happen.

Renaissance Art• Observation

– Examine nature itself• How does nature

work? Studied plants, animals

– Experimentation• Anatomy

– Leonardo da Vinci– Dissected 10 bodies

Challenging Christianity

• The Reformation– Martin Luther 1517– Challenges Catholic Church and the

Pope– Copernicus

• Scientific contradiction of Christian teachings

– Can the Christian church’s judgement be trusted on medical matters?

Why does this breakthrough last?

• Printing Press– Gutenberg 1452

• Bible

– Very cheap and easy to spread ideas– Challenges Catholic Church’s control

over the spread of information• Monks handwritten manuscripts

Paracelsus1493 - 1541

• Full Name:– Aureolus Phillipus Theophrastus Bombastus von

Hohenheim

• University Lecturer in Basel, Switzerland• Challenged Galen

– Burnt Galen’s books in front of his students• “Galen is a liar and a fake; Avicenna is a kitchen master. They

are good for nothing. You will not need them. Reading never made a physician. Patients are the only books.”

– Disagreed with 4 Humour Theory• Put forward the idea that the body was attacked from outside

– Use minerals & magic to help protect the body» Mercury, Laudanum, iron and Sulphur

Padua Anatomical

Theatre• Padua in Italy• Premier Medical

Facility in Europe• More willing to

dissect cadavers• However, cadavers

still in short supply• Up to 300 observers• All observers within

10 metres of table

Andreas Vesalius1514 - 1564

• Studied in Paris• Observed gallows victims and

decaying bodies of criminals– Smuggled parts home

• Became professor of Padua at 23

• Conducted dissections himself– Students told to study the body

for themselves rather than rely on others.

• De Fabrica published in 1543– Pointed out Galen’s errors

• Jaw bone– Printing press allowed it to be

made available to a wide audience

Ambroise Pare1510 - 1590

• Surgical Advances• Barber-Surgeon in French Army• Advance One

– Problem• Surgeons cauterised gunshot

wounds with boiling oil (to stop lead poisoning)

– Painful– Shock– Infection

– Crisis• Ran out of oil

– Solution• Do not cauterise• Use natural ointment

– Used by Romans

Ambroise Pare1510 - 1590

• Advance Two– Problem

• Cauterisation used to stop bleeding on cut wounds / amputations

– Shock– Pain– Infection

– Solution• Ligatures

– Use silk thread and needles to sew up bleeding vessels

» Infection still a problem

• Question 1-4 page 87

William Harvey

1578 - 1657

• Student at Padua• Challenged Galen’s idea

of new blood being created– experiments to show that

blood flowed in one direction

• Animals• Cadavers

• Proved that heart was a pump– Blood recirculates– Calculated volume of blood

• Published results showing his proof

• Problem: Capillaries?• How useful was his

discovery?

• Page 90

• Use handout to help answer questions 1 to 5

Homework