Was the Medical Renaissance an important period in medical history?

This was also a time when surgeons began to use some more successful methods. The French doctor Abroise Pare made the main breakthrough in this area by discovering a new way of treating gunshot wounds through working as a doctor during the war. After running out of hot oil he was forced to try other methods, he made an ointment out of oil of roses, turpentine and egg yolk. This worked remarkably well and cause little pain to the victim.

However, most treatments remained the same as they had done for centuries. These discoveries were very interesting and meant doctors knew a lot more about the human body, however they did not immediately lead on to new medicines etc. It was not until a while afterwards that the knowledge gained could be turned into reasons and cures of illness. The 4 humours theory was still the main belief of the cause of illness.

Despite the new discoveries doctors still did not understand what caused disease as germs were still a mystery to them. The 4 humours theory that they still believed in was totally wrong and as they didn't know about germs they were unaware of how disease spread and so couldn't develop any cures.

By 1700 people could not expect to live longer than they had done centuries earlier. Although all this progress had been made it was in the next centuries that this increased amount of knowledge could help doctors to develop medicines and cures that would directly help them to have better health and live longer.

In conclusion the period between 1400 and 1750 was important because of the increase in knowledge of anatomy and physiology. This knowledge was invaluable to doctors and it was a time of great steps forward in understanding how the body works as people at last began to question Galen's beliefs that they had believed and in many cases had been wrong about for centuries. Although people were no healthier by the end of the Renaissance it was a very important era and laid the foundations for many breakthroughs that did extend people life and give them a better quality of life for future generations.