Medicine Through Time – Teachers’ Resources

Online activity that uses sources from the ancient world to explore the impact of religious beliefs on medical practice.

Explore written methods of diagnosing ailments and administering the prescribed cures. What evidence is there of religion influencing these treatments? Ideal for GCSE history students wanting to see how medicine had been practised in the Ancient Civilisations.

A series of explanations and activities that develop an understanding of this important idea.

The Four Humours is a theory that formed the basis of medical belief and practise for centuries. A relatively simple idea, it links the different fluids within the body to different types of illness. If those fluids becoming imbalanced, illness happens. To cure the illness a doctor must rebalance the humours. For GCSE students studying Medicine from c1350 this is a vital theory to gain an understanding of. It is the basis upon which much of medicine at that time was practised and new ideas stem from, or challenge, it.

Explore Galen’s influence on medicine in the Roman world.

Galen as one of the most significant individuals in the history of medicine. His works covered many aspects of health, disease, surgery and treatments. The influence of Galen’s work was lasting. It was still taught in Medieval Europe as being the accepted truth about the human body. These ideas were based upon early scientific methods. To improve them required ground breaking techniques, new inventions and the willingness to challenge the might of the Catholic Church.

An Active Learning exercise providing a breadth of knowledge of medicine in the Middle Ages.

In the Middle Ages a busy town or City would see many forms of medicine on offer. Physicians may use wound charts, urine charts and the texts from Universities. Monasteries may offer cleanliness and prayer. Surgery may be undertaken by army surgeons or amateur barber surgeons. Curious cures could be offered by eccentric peddlars. Herbal remedies were available, often based at home. With so many choices for people to consider, how did they decide what to do? This simulation provides a depth of understanding of the variety of options available. It smashes the myth that everything was based on the works of Galen.

Card sort exercise on the impact of the Black Death. Includes extension activities.

Created by Roy Huggins

Assessment for learning activity using a number of sources.

Activity Sheets that explore the importance of previous work in enabling Harvey’s most significant findings.

Online Lesson.

How did Edward Jenner discover a vaccine against the deadly disease Smallpox? How did people react to the idea of vaccination? Find out here.

Outline of a lesson with links to external resources (source material and audio visual). Easy to adapt for your own classroom.

An active learning lesson written with Adam Henson and myself. Edited by Ian Dawson and hosted externally on his site.

A collection of starter activities and ‘bell tasks’ relating to medicine through time.

Simple but effective revision activities that can be used over and over again.

By Roy Huggins.