Why did the discoveries of the Renaissance make little practical difference to medical treatment in the period c1500-c1700?

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History – Medicine and treatment through the ages

Why did the discoveries of the Renaissance make little practical difference to medical treatment in the period c1500-c1700? (12 marks – 18 minutes)

The discoveries of the Renaissance did not make a significant contribution to the improvement of medical treatment for many reasons.

The first of these reasons is that the discoveries made during these times were primarily about anatomy – not treatment. Vesalius dissected bodies in order to prove that many of the works that Galen – the renowned ancient Greek who had formed the basis for modern medical teachings – had produced, were in fact wrong. This included the discovery that the jaw is comprised of one single bone – not the two that Galen had said.

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William Harvey focused on the distribution of blood around the body. He discovered that blood flows only one way around the body, and that blood is reused and not constantly produced by the liver as Galen had suggested. He used many complex diagrams which when combined with the invention of the printing press – became quickly distributed throughout the world in the form of a book entitled ‘An anatomical account of the motion of the heart and blood in animals’. These would late form key elements in helping to identify effective drugs and cures, but during the Renaissance they ...

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The strength of this answer is that it has a sharp focus on the period and does give quite a range of accurate and correct reasons why treatments were not improved. It could be improved with more explanation at the end of each paragraph and some information about the treatment for disease. ***