GCSE History: Medicine Through Time Revision Guide

Medieval medicine (c.1250-1500)

Medieval doctors mostly followed the Theory of the Four Humours (blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile), first developed by the ancient Greeks, believing illness was caused by an imbalance between them. Treatments included bloodletting and purging to restore balance. The Church was highly influential, and some believed illness was a punishment from God.

The Renaissance (c.1500-1700)

Printing spread new ideas faster, and observation began to challenge ancient theory. Andreas Vesalius corrected errors in the accepted understanding of human anatomy through dissection, and William Harvey proved that blood circulates around the body, pumped by the heart, disproving older ideas about blood being made in the liver.

The 19th century

This period saw the biggest breakthrough in understanding disease: Louis Pasteur's Germ Theory (1861) proved that microorganisms cause disease, replacing older theories like miasma (bad air). Robert Koch then identified the specific bacteria responsible for individual diseases. Public health also improved through the Public Health Act 1875, which forced local authorities to provide clean water and proper sewage systems.

The 20th century

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, though it wasn't mass-produced as an antibiotic until the 1940s, transforming the treatment of bacterial infections. In 1948, the National Health Service (NHS) was created, making healthcare free for everyone in Britain at the point of use.

Common mistakes

• Assuming change was always a steady improvement — progress in this period was often slow, and old ideas persisted alongside new discoveries for decades.
• Mixing up Pasteur (proved germs cause disease) and Koch (identified specific germs responsible for specific diseases).
• Forgetting to explain why a factor mattered (e.g. war, government, technology, individual genius) — exam questions usually reward explanation over description.