Public Attitudes (Edexcel GCSE History) : Revision Note

How important were public attitudes to the development of medicine?

• Understanding themes helps explain how and why medicine developed between c1250–present

  • The 12- and 16-mark questions may ask about these themes to test your ability to spot change, continuity, and key turning points over time

• Attitudes in society could slow down or encourage medical progress, depending on the time period

• For most of history, people were reluctant to change, preferring tradition and religion

• Over time, greater education, scientific evidence, and communication helped change public opinion

• Individuals have often needed public or government support to make a real impact

Public attitudes in Medieval England

Cause of Disease

• Most people accepted that diseases were a punishment from God

• People were suspicious of new ideas or criticism of Galen

Treatment

• Traditional treatments like bloodletting and herbal remedies were accepted without question

• A lack of education meant people could not understand or demand better care

• Many people could not afford physicians, so they relied on wise women or apothecaries

Prevention

• Focus on spiritual prevention, such as prayer, pilgrimage, and charms

• Fear and religion shaped attitudes to prevention

Public attitudes in the Renaissance

Cause of Disease

• Some people began to question old ideas, especially the work of Thomas Sydenham

• However, many people still believed in traditional ideas

  • For example, people insisted that physicians explain their illness using the Theory of the Four Humours

    • This is despite physicians not believing in the Four Humours

Treatment

• People respected ancient treatments more than new ideas

• Vesalius and Harvey proved Galen's ideas were incorrect, but their discoveries spread slowly due to public hesitation

Prevention

• During the Great Plague, people still turned to prayer and superstition

• Whilst some followed the King's decree, many people did not respect quarantine laws

  • Local governments hired watchers to ensure infected people remained in their houses

Public attitudes in Industrial Britain

Cause of Disease

• The public initially rejected Germ Theory

  • People still believed in miasma

• Even scientists did not accept Germ Theory as a cause of disease

  • Many doctors, like Dr Henry Bastian, supported Spontaneous Generation

Treatment

• Lister’s antiseptics faced opposition from surgeons who thought it slowed them down

• Simpson’s chloroform was popular with patients, but criticised by doctors and religious leaders

Prevention

• Many opposed Jenner’s smallpox vaccine

  • The public, the Church and even the Royal Society saw it as unnatural

  • Over time, growing trust in science led to increased vaccine acceptance

• Once people began to understand how disease spread, they placed pressure on the government to improve public health

  • This is shown in the 1875 Public Health Act

Public attitudes in Modern Britain

Cause of Disease

• Greater understanding of DNA and lifestyle factors helped change public attitudes

• People are now more likely to accept scientific explanations for the cause of diseases

Treatment

• Florey and Chain’s work on penicillin was widely accepted once it proved successful

• The NHS has increased public access to treatment, and there is high trust in doctors overall

Prevention

• Campaigns like Stoptober and Change4Life show that the public is more open to government-led advice

• However, some resistance remains to lifestyle changes, vaccines (such as COVID-19), or public health laws