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EnglandHistory

Health and the people c1000 to present

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What did people believe about disease and treatment in the medieval period?

Medieval ideas about the cause of disease, the influence of Galen and the Church, treatments and care, public health in towns and monasteries, and the impact of the Black Death.
A focused answer to the medieval section of AQA's Health and the people thematic study, covering ideas about the cause of disease, the influence of Galen and the Church, medieval treatments and care, public health, and the impact of the Black Death of 1348 to 1349.
12 min answer →

How did medicine and healthcare develop in the twentieth century?

Magic bullets and antibiotics including penicillin, advances in surgery and technology, the founding of the NHS in 1948, and modern public health campaigns.
A focused answer to the modern section of AQA's Health and the people thematic study, covering magic bullets and the discovery and mass production of penicillin, advances in surgery and technology, the founding of the NHS in 1948, and modern public health campaigns.
13 min answer →

How did medical knowledge change during the Renaissance?

The work of Vesalius, Pare and Harvey, the challenge to Galen, the impact of the printing press and the Royal Society, and continued problems in treating disease.
A focused answer to the Renaissance section of AQA's Health and the people thematic study, covering Vesalius on anatomy, Pare on surgery and Harvey on the circulation of the blood, the challenge to Galen, the role of the printing press and the Royal Society, and why treatment changed slowly.
12 min answer →

How did medicine and public health transform in the nineteenth century?

Jenner and vaccination, Pasteur's germ theory and Koch's microbes, the development of anaesthetics and antiseptics, and the 1875 Public Health Act.
A focused answer to the nineteenth-century section of AQA's Health and the people thematic study, covering Jenner and vaccination, Pasteur's germ theory and Koch's microbes, the development of anaesthetics and antiseptics in surgery, and the public health reforms culminating in the 1875 Public Health Act.
13 min answer →