Medicine Exam
Disease and Infection
Exam Technique
The 8 mark question
What do we want to
achieve today?
•To understand the exam technique for disease
and infection section of the Medicine Through
Time exam
•To apply new techniques to answering exam
questions
•To demonstrate understanding through
reviewing students answers
The disease and infection section of the exam paper requires
you to be able to explain the following;
1) How ideas and theories about disease changed over time
(progress, regress and continuity)
2) How the way people treated disease and infection
changed over time
3) How methods to prevent disease changed over time
The examiners have tended to focus on:
• The importance of factors over time
• The significance of one individual against another
• The change in medicine over one period of time,
(progress, regress and continuity).
The skill is to be able to understand change over time!
Markscheme for all 4 mark questions
1-2marks: Simple answer that shows basic
knowledge about the topic
3-4 marks Developed answer that explains
key points about the topic
Markscheme for all 8 mark questions
1-2marks: General or simple answer that
describes some key points about the topic
3-5 marks Answer gives simple details with
some limited explanation
6-8 marks Answer that gives a detailed
evaluation of the key points of the topic
What was the theory of
the four humours?
• Write your answer now!
• The theory of the four humours was the first
natural theory of the causes of disease. It was
important because it was the first real theory to
say that illness was caused by natural reasons as
opposed to the supernatural. It was developed by
Hippocrates during the Greek period. It was
based on the idea that the body contained four
liquids and if these liquids became out of balance
then a person became ill. Hippocrates said that
the humours were also linked to the seasons. This
was logical because the Greeks noticed that
during certain seasons certain liquids would
become out of balance. For example during the
winter, people would have more phlegm. The
theory of the four humours was wrong, but it was
believed throughout Europe until the Renaissance.
How far did ideas about disease and
infection change during the Ancient
World (10,000BC – AD500
• Plan your answer!
• When your teacher tells you, have a
go at writing it!
Read this answer and use the mark scheme to give it a score.
In early prehistoric times they believed in the dual approach – natural and
supernatural cause of disease. They thought that if you had a headache, you had an
evil spirit inside you. So in the case of a headache a procedure called trepanning was
put in place which is where a hole is drilled in your skull which would release evil
spirits. They had a natural approach for things they could see such as broken legs
which they would encase in plaster.
In Egyptian times they
causes but did consider
river Nile to the flow of
was a blockage in your
laxatives.
had similar beliefs such as they believed in supernatural
a more natural approach such as the case of relating the
blood in your system. So if you were ill, they believed there
blood so used a natural treatment such as vomiting and
In the Greek period they had a far more natural approach to medicine and the
supernatural approach began to decline. The Greeks were a nation of thinkers and
their biggest thinker was Hippocrates. He came up with the theory of the 4 humours.
The theory was that the seasons could be linked with something in humans such as
bile or phlegm and then could be linked with the elements. This could also be linked
with the theory of opposites i.e. if you were cold you should have something hot.
Hippocrates also thought the patient was really important and came up with the
Hippocratic oath that ensured patients should be looked after. However, the Greeks
also believed in the supernatural and worshipped the God of Medicine Asclepios.
They believed that if people made a sacrifice to Asclepios in his temple, at night
Asclepios would visit them and heal them.
In the Roman period there was more of an emphasis on taking action rather than
thinking about the cause and cure of disease. They, like the Greeks believed in the
four humours but also believed in bad air. They thought that there were seeds which
caused disease in the air. They realised this by using empirical observation which
meant observing the swamps and seeing that those around the swamps became ill.
They may have realised this but they did not spend any more time on what caused
illness or how to cure it so the ideas of Hippocrates remained the only real ideas
about disease through out this period. The Romans did however, also like the idea of
the supernatural and continued to believe that Asclepios would come and heal people
if they worshipped him.
Time to mark
When you have read the answer give it a mark using the markscheme you saw earlier.
Your mark = /8 Reason why you have given this mark______________________
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Now discuss the mark you gave this answer with your study buddy. Do you agree
Studdy buddy marked this answer as /8
How would you improve this answer? ____________________________________
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Plenary
Feel good about yourself! You have had
a go at a Medicine exam paper
Write down three ideas you have learnt
today about this exam paper