Medicine and Anatomy

Renaissance Medical Research and Practice

Throughout the Renaissance period, European understandings of medicine and anatomy continued to evolve as the scientific method gained prominence. This source collection provides an overview of some of the key ideas and practices of this era. It begins by looking at the ideas that influenced medical thought at this time, including the works of ancient and medieval writers from Greece and the Near East, as well as the Theory of the Four Humours and the belief in heavenly influences on human health. The collection then provides a chronological overview of important thinkers and developments throughout the Renaissance period. This source collection aims to help students explore continuity and change in European ideas about medicine and the human body, and pose questions about the concepts of progress and decline. Did the growth of the scientific method entirely transform how people understood medicine and anatomy? Were supernatural explanations for disease abandoned? Did medical treatments become more advanced? How might these ideas have contributed to modern medicine?

This source collection was made by Giulia Rossi and Bridget Martin as part of the Europeana DSI4 project, which is co-financed by the European Union Connecting Europe Facility. The collection makes use of sources from Europeana Collections.

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Using the Knowledge of Ancient Greek Physicians
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Relying on Thinkers of the Past
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The Theory of the Four Humours
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Astrology and Medicine
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Heavenly Influences on Illness and Disease
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Paracelsus (1493-1541)
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Leonard Fuchs (1501-1566)
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Medicinal Plants
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Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)
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The Seven Books on the Structure of the Human Body
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Teaching Anatomy
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Ambroise Paré (1510-1590)
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Renaissance Prosthetics
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Midwives
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William Harvey (1578-1657)
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Rembrandt Paints an Anatomy Lesson
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Royal Healing Powers