Name____________________________
Mr. McIntyre ([email protected]): 9th Grade World History Summer Reading Guide
A Brief History of Medicine: From Hippocrates to Gene Therapy
By Paul Strathern (First five chapters)
OBJECTIVE AND ASSESSMENT: The completion of this guide will count as half of a major test grade. The other half of the
test grade will be given following the discussion of this book. Students must work independently. Students should notice that 1.
Early Man relied almost entirely on faith, 2. The Greeks sought more scientific explanations, 3. The Romans sought even more
scientific explanations, 4. Medieval Man forgot Greco-Roman scientific achievements and reverted back to faith and superstition (with
the exception of the Muslims), and 5. Renaissance Man began once again to value science over faith/religion. These 43 questions
serve to offer specific support to this underlying trend. The first 42 questions should be answered with no more than a sentence or a
short list, but you must list page numbers for each response in the left-hand margin. Bring your completed assignment on the
first day of school. Answers must be hand-written (unless you contact me for permission otherwise). DO NOT work in groups.
I WILL periodically check my email over the summer, so feel free to send me questions anytime!
Vocabulary
The following 25 words will be your answers to the Fill in the Blank questions on your test when we return to school.
Take a minute to define/describe each of these as you come across them. These definitions do not need to be turned in.
William Harvey
Herophilus
Hildegard
Al-Tasari
Paracelsus
De Motu Cordis
Erasistratus
Al-Razi
cauterize
Fracastorius
Galileo
Galen
Avicenna
spectacles
Vesalius
Asclepius
Venerable Bede
Al-Qanun
plague
Fabrica
Hippocrates
Bertram Colgrave
Albucasis
paradox
Fallopius
Prologue
(Looking Ahead to the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution: Approx. 1600’s)
1. According to the author, what/who marked the beginning of modern medicine?
2. What was his major publication titled?
3. Prior to this publication, how was human blood thought to behave?
4. How did Galileo influence this study?
Chapter 1
(Early Man and Ancient Greece: Approx. Prehistory to 250bc)
5. How did early humans “protect themselves” from illness and disease?
6. How did the basic shift from “hunter-gatherers” to “farmers” affect disease?
7. According to the author, what was thought to be the underlying cause of nearly every human affliction?
8. What lasting symbolic effect does the Greek Asclepius have today?
9. What shift does Strathern acknowledge in 6th-century BC Greece?
10. How did Hippocrates study medicine (i.e. was it mostly from a religious perspective, etc.)?
11. What were the four “humours”, and how did they generally affect health?
12. What are the roots of “blood letting”?
13. List at least 3 major drawbacks to Hippocratic medicine.
14. How did Plato and Aristotle differ in their approach to philosophy?
15. What did Aristotle think were the functions of the heart and brain?
16. What was Herophilus’s key contribution to medical knowledge?
17. What event in 250bc hampered further medical breakthroughs?
Chapter 2
(Ancient Rome: Approx. 500bc-500ad)
18. How did Galen gain his medical experience?
19. What were some of Galen’s major discoveries? What were some of his mistakes?
20. How did Galen adapt Hippocrates’ “humoral theory”? How did this affect the study of medicine throughout the Middle
Ages?
Chapter 3
(The Medieval Period and the Muslim World: Approx. 500-1000)
21. What association does Strathern make between general health and the strength of empires?
22. What are some of Venerable Bede’s non-medical discoveries? What does this suggest about his approach to medicine?
23. What were Bede’s main accomplishments? What were his main errors?
24. What is an apologist? What does Bertram Colgrave say about Bede?
25. Summarize medieval medical beliefs in one sentence.
26. What were Hildegard’s answers to blindness, jaundice, and hydration? What was her key lasting contribution?
27. What edict did the Pope pass in the year 1130? What was its unintended positive effect?
28. Who was Al-Razi? What were some of his advances?
29. What were some of Avicenna’s contributions? What was his stance on surgery?
30. What were some of Albucasis’ cures? What does it mean to cauterize? What did he use cautery for?
Chapter 4
(Late Middle Ages and Pre-Renaissance: Approx. 1000-1400’s)
31. What invention “doubled” the intellectual power of Europe? How does the author rationalize this argument?
32. Describe the symptoms of the plague? How did different cities deal with the plague? What is the origin of the word
quarantine?
33. What was the Christian answer to the plague? How might the plague have affected religious faith? (THINK!)
34. What is a paradox? How is Paracelsus’ career paradoxical?
35. How did Paracelsus come by his recipe for laudanum? What is it known as today? What were its medicinal uses?
36. List 2 ways Paracelsus modeled himself after Martin Luther.
37. How did the world view contagious diseases before and after Fracastorius?
Chapter 5
(Renaissance and Scientific Revolution: Approx. 1400’s-1500’s)
38. How did Vesalius manage to study anatomy early on?
39. What was the name of his greatest book? What errors of Galen did Vesalius point out?
40. How does Strathern account for Vesalius’s lack of understanding of the female anatomy?
41. What other work was published the same year as Vesalius’ Fabrica? How would this affect people’s attitudes towards
science?
42. Who was Vesalius’ chief pupil? What were some of his main discoveries?
Looking Back (8 pts.)
43. In a brief paragraph, what general trend do you see through the first five chapters concerning the relationship among
medicine, religion, and science? Give specific examples (people’s names)!