Class notes HISTORY 2812

-medical practitioners view on how disease came about -Renaissance: 14th-17th century -revival of classical learning -what the classics said about science and math -set up the scientific revolution -Hippocrates and Galen’s theories are revisited -challenges to Galen’s way of thinking -Galen was on the right track, continue to move it forward -Fracastoro gentle approach to moving forward -Paracelsus harsh, openly, appose to Galen Fracastoro -wrote the poem about Syphilis -major role in advancing the theory of contagion -disease comes from tiny self-multiplying bodies -expanded and challenged Galen’s Theory Theory of Contagion: -by touch -by fomite (clothes) -by glance (long distance transmission) -no one believes him -large class of diseases cause by contagion -Galen talks about seeds of contagion -to get rid of being sick, you must destroy the seeds -precursor of Germ Theory -unscientific no evidence -known for just being a challenger of classical thinking -his theory didn’t provide new better treatment Reasons for being important -starts to build on the theory of contagion -build on Galen’s text, allow people to move beyond -road to follow to expel disease .................................CONTINUED.................................