Free taster
5 of 6 sections open
Setting the Scene
📖 Setting the Scene
The Renaissance ("rebirth") changed everything. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci dissected bodies to draw them accurately. The printing press spread new ideas faster than ever. And in 1543, a young anatomy professor named Andreas Vesalius did the unthinkable: he proved that Galen — the medical god whose word was law — had made over 200 errors. The human jaw was one bone, not two. The liver had two lobes, not five. Galen had dissected ANIMALS, not humans. It was revolutionary. Medicine would never be the same.
Earn the mark scheme marks
📝 Exam Technique: Renaissance = Ideas Not Treatments
A key exam point: Renaissance improved UNDERSTANDING but not TREATMENTS.
🏫 Edexcel 1HI0/10 — Medicine in Britain (Paper 1, Option 1HI0/10): This topic is tested on Paper 1 alongside the Historic Environment (Western Front). Edexcel question types differ from AQA:
- "Describe two features of..." (4 marks) — Identify a feature (1 mark) + supporting detail (1 mark). Write two separate PEEL-style paragraphs. No evaluation needed.
- "Explain why..." (12 marks) — Explain two or three reasons with specific evidence. Level 3 (7–9 marks) requires explained reasons; Level 4 (10–12 marks) requires explanation showing how factors connect or reinforce each other.
- "How far do you agree that..." (16 marks + 4 SPaG) — Extended writing. Two sides: evidence FOR the statement, evidence AGAINST. Reach a supported judgement. Level 4 (13–16 marks) requires a consistently argued judgement. SPaG marks reward accurate spelling of key historical terms.
Now try it yourself
Quiz · Question 1 of 8
What was the title of the book Vesalius published in 1543?
Tap an answer to check it