Religion (Edexcel GCSE History) : Revision Note

How important was religion 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

• Religion was most influential in the Medieval and Renaissance periods

• Over time, religion's influence declined as science and observation became more important

• The Church’s control of education and hospitals was gradually replaced by scientific reasoning

• Religion remained present in some forms (such as opposition to change), but its role in medical progress reduced significantly over time

Religion in Medieval England

Cause of Disease

• People believed that God sent diseases as a punishment for sin

• The Church promoted supernatural reasons for disease, including astrology

• The Church accepted rational theories (such as the Theory of the Four Humours)

  • This is because Galen did not challenge the Church, as he believed in a god

Treatment

• The Church encouraged people with illnesses to pray, confess sins, and go on pilgrimages

• Monks and nuns cared for the sick in hospitals, offering prayer and herbal remedies

• Dissection was banned by the Church in many areas, slowing medical research

Prevention

• The Church believe that living a morally good life would prevent illness

• In times of epidemics, such as the Black Death, the Church encouraged prayer and charms

  • Some religious groups became flagellants

Religion in the Renaissance

Cause of Disease

• Religious explanations declined slightly due to the Renaissance

  • Humanism believes that human beings have the power to shape their own lives, rather than relying on God

• Some people still believed illness was a punishment from God, especially during plagues

• Scientists like Vesalius began to dissect human bodies, proving that the Church and Galen’s theories about anatomy were wrong

• There was a growing interest in scientific thinking, which began to challenge religious ideas, such as those of Thomas Sydenham

Treatment

• People continued to pray to heal from diseases

• Chemical cures and observation became more common

• The dissolution of the monasteries (1536) closed down many hospitals

  • New hospitals began to change from care to cure 

Prevention

• During the Great Plague, people still used religious prevention methods such as prayer

• However, transference and miasma theory grew in popularity, as people began to rely more on rational ideas

Religion in Industrial Britain

Cause of Disease

• Religious explanations became much less common

  • Germ Theory replaced religious causes for disease

• By 1900, people believed in natural causes, not supernatural ones

Treatment

• Trained doctors, not monks, ran hospitals

  • This ended the influence of the Church on medical care

• Prayer was no longer the main form of treatment

  • Surgery, antiseptics and anaesthetics replaced religious treatments

Prevention

• Focus shifted to scientific prevention

• The Church continued to resist change

  • The Church spoke out against Jenner’s smallpox vaccination

Religion in Modern Britain

Cause of Disease

• The vast majority of people have a scientific understanding of disease

  • Lifestyle and genetic factors are now accepted causes

• Religion no longer shapes mainstream beliefs about illness

Treatment

• Medicine is driven by technology and science

  • Examples of treatments include:

    • Antibiotics

    • Chemotherapy

    • Robotic surgery

• Religious charities, such as hospices, still provide care, but not medical advancement

Prevention

• Prevention is based on evidence and data, rather than religion

• Religious people continue to pray during times of epidemics, such as COVID-19