History GCSE Question Guidance for: The History of Medicine Time for the exam: 1hr 15 mins
Medicine and Public Health Question 1 8 marks, 12 minutes This is compulsory and it is a change question: use evidence from the sources to draw inferences about change and explain the changes using your own knowledge you must use both sources in your answer. The source shows which tells me that This was a big / substantial / large / small change because Question 2 6 marks, 9 minutes This is a compulsory question that focuses on describing or explaining a key feature of a particular period: you will have to choose one of the time periods and e.g. describe hospital treatment in that period Hospitals were very successful / was not very successful in treating the sick in this time period. They used treatments like / they didn t have access to technology such as These were successful / not very successful because Question 3 8 marks, 12 minutes This is a compulsory question that focuses on How useful question: explain in what ways the source is useful to a historian who is investigating a particular topic that you are told about. Question 4 or 5 12 marks, 18 minutes You should choose to answer EITHER question 4 OR 5. This is a question about explaining change and continuity over a number of time periods. You will need to use factors to weigh up why things changed and why things stayed the same. Beliefs in causes of disease changed a lot over this time period. In 1350 beliefs such as were held Also, These were believed because People believed this until There was not much / a lot of change because By 1900 understanding of the causes of disease had changed to a great degree. This big change was due to and For example Also, This meant that showing Overall, Question 6 or 7 16 marks (+3 marks SPAG), 24 minutes You should choose to answer EITHER question 6 OR 7. These questions will ask you to judge how much OR how far something has change or continued over some time periods. You will need to explain your answer by using the key points the examiner gives to you and adding at least one more of your own. It was very important because it saved thousands of lives. Jenner s vaccination was better than inoculation because This meant that However government funding was needed to ensure that Jenner s vaccination had a wide impact. It was also limited by the fact that the link between cox pox and small pox was unique, therefore the technique could not be used to fight against any other disease. Jenner s discovery was very important at the time because However Jenner s ideas didn t have an immediate big effect on medicine because vaccinations could not be done until nineteenth century advances meant that Overall
Question 1 Medicine example Question 1 will ask What can you learn from Sources A and B about changes (something)? The best answers: Make inferences about changes from the sources And support those inferences with detail from both sources. The examination paper will contain two sources. Comment on the degree of change. You must use your knowledge to develop your answer and explain the change. Study Sources A and B What can you learn from Sources A and B about changes in the way doctors think about the causes of illness? Explain your answer using these sources and your own knowledge. Source A: A cure for toothache, written down by John of Gaddesden, a leading English doctor, c1280-1361 Write these words on the jaw of the patient: In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Amen. The pain will cease at once as I have often seen. Source B: Louis Pasteur, studying illnesses in his laboratory in about 1880. Inference One thing I can infer from the two sources about the changing views the causes of illness is that doctors used to believe in religious causes of illnesses. Over recent centuries, this has changed. Over recent centuries, this has changed. They now believe in scientific causes of illness. Another thing I can infer Supporting detail I can infer this from the two sources because in Source A Gaddesden says he can cure toothache by writing religious words on the patient s jaw. I can infer from this that he thinks toothache in caused by God. But Source B shows Pasteur studying illnesses with a microscope and other scientific equipment. This shows that he must think there is a scientific equipment. This shows that he must think there is a scientific explanation for illness. This is a change in how doctors thought illness was caused. I can infer this from the two sources because in
Question 2 Q2 will give two examples of: people, groups of people, events, ideas, changes, continuity, developments. It will then ask you to choose one of the two examples given and explain why it (or they) changed something, improve it or caused it to stay the same. The best answers will not just write all they know about the person, group, factor or event but will instead: Say what the importance of the person (or group, factor or event) was Give supporting detail about their actions to explain how the person etc. was important Medicine example The boxes below show two important people in the history of medicine. Choose one person and explain why he or she was important in improving the treatment of illness. Louis Pasteur and germ theory Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War The Person Florence Nightingale was important in improving the treatment of illness. She took nurses to the Crimean War (1854-56) and improved hygiene in Scutari hospital. The death rate there fell from 42% to 2% Improvement in treatment of illness This work improved the treatment of illness because it showed everyone the link between hygiene and illness. Newspapers reported her work, so it became widely known. The public gave money for her to set up a nurse training school in 1860, so many nurses spread her methods. Her book, called Notes on Nursing, was published in 11 languages, which spread her improvements abroad. All this meant that Florence Nightingale s work in the Crimea improved the treatment of the illness. The Person Louis Pasteur was important because his germ theory (1861) showed what caused illness (germs). Also, in 1879, his team produced a chicken cholera vaccine. Improvement in treatment of illness This work improved the treatment of illness because once people knew that germs caused disease and understood about vaccines fighting disease, they were able to look for new vaccines to treat diseases. Researchers found vaccines that could be used to treat typhoid (1896), TB (1906), diphtheria (1913) and measles (1964)
Question 3 You need to make a judgement on the reliability and usefulness of a source To get top marks, you must: Make a judgement that is based on the usefulness of the sources content and reliability Answers need to talk about: the difference that the reliability makes to the usefulness. You must explain your answer: using the source and your own knowledge. What you need to do You need to consider both of these sources Firstly consider how much useful information they contain for the particular enquiry in the question (the content of the source). Secondly, consider how reliable that information is; how much do you trust it? Suggested sentence starters The source is useful because it is an accurate / complete / comprehensive representation of which helps us to understand about This helps a historian studying XXX because It is also useful because it shows us helping us to infer about This helps a historian studying XXX because However, it is not very accurate / complete / comprehensive in showing which doesn t help us to see about Overall this source is very / not very / partially useful for Medicine example Study Source C. Source C: An illustration from William Harvey s book An Anatomical Account of the Motion of the Heart and Blood, published in 1628. It shows an experiment to prove that blood flows around the body in one direction and cannot flow backwards. 3 How useful is Source C to a historian who is investigating medical knowledge during the Renaissance period? Use Source C and your own knowledge to explain your answer.
Specimen answer Source C is useful because it shows people knew about blood flow and it gives a diagram to easily prove it. It shows that knowledge has progressed enough to prove Galen wrong about what he said about the organs using up blood, as it can be seen flowing around the body. It is also useful because it is printed in a book, allowing for wide distribution of this new development. However it is not useful because it doesn t show how many people read the book or understood the diagram. It doesn t show how medical knowledge has changed/ stayed the same during this period. The source also doesn t show if the theory had been accepted as Harvey was going directly against Galen s teachings and also the Church who were very powerful in this period. In conclusion, the source is both useful and not useful as it shows one man s developments but it doesn t show the acceptance and impact it had on medical knowledge, especially since it doesn t change how treatment was carried out.
Question 4 or 5 In the exam you must answer either Q3 or 4. These questions will ask you to analyse something. For example: Why did (somebody) do (something)? In what ways did (something) help (something else) to happen? How important was the role of (somebody)? The questions will always give you some information to help you with your answers. Medicine example Why was there so much new medical knowledge discovered during the 16 th and 17 th centuries? The following information may help you with your answer. During the 16 th and 17 th centuries there was a Medical Renaissance. It was a time when there was more scientific experimentation, more dissection and more scientific equipment to help research. You must also include information of your own. The best answers will show they understand the focus of the question and will provide accurate and relevant information to support their points. With the example above: Think about why there was new medical knowledge discovered in the 16 th and 17 th centuries. This is the focus of the question. The best answers will give more than one reason, supported by accurate, detailed information. You can only be awarded higher marks if you use your own information. So, each time you give a reason, take time to support it first. Specimen answer: P E E L One reason for the growth in medical knowledge was the increase in scientific experimentation. Scientific experimentation was done by groups such as the Royal Society in London. They exchanged ideas with each other and with other people and groups from other countries. The idea of experimenting and exchanging ideas rather than just following a textbook means people found more out. Develop your answer further by using specific examples e.g. the work of Vesalius or Harvey Link your answer back to the question Another reason why medical knowledge grew was the increase in dissection. This increased medical knowledge because as more people did dissections, they found more and more
information which contradicted the old ideas. So, Vesalius made detailed drawings of the inside of the human body. He showed that Galen s ideas were wrong about the structure of the heart, liver and lower jaw. Develop your answer further by using specific examples. Link your answer back to the question A third reason for medical knowledge growing was that people began to think about the body differently. This increased medical knowledge because they began to think about the body as a machine and made new discoveries about how the body worked. For example, William Harvey worked out how blood circulated by thinking about how mechanical pumps worked. Then he used the new thinking to do experiments that proved it. Another reason why medical knowledge grew was the availability of printing. This increased medical knowledge because many more books could be produced, faster and more cheaply. Printed medical texts, such as Harvey s Anatomical Account of the Motion of the Heart and Vesalius Fabric of the Human Body spread new knowledge. This encouraged more investigations and even more new knowledge.
Question 6 or 7 These will not always follow the same pattern. But although the question types might be different, each type of question expects you to: Use factual information to support and contradict the basic idea in the question. Come to your own overall judgement about the answer. The question might ask: About how far something changed or stayed the same If you agree with the statement How different things were About causes and effects. Top level answers always reach a conclusion about why, how far or whether they agree with a statement. Your answer must make several points for and against, supported by detail and finishes with a sensible balanced conclusion. If the question asks about the causes or effects, the best answers will show how causes or effects are linked and will weigh up the importance of each one. You can only be awarded higher marks if you use your own information. Medicine example The treatment of illness in the Middle Ages remain unchanged since Roman times? Do you agree? Explain your answer. You may use the following in your answer. St Bartholomew s Hospital in London was founded in 1123 By the 12 th century there were training courses for doctors based on texts called the Ars Medicinae You must use information of you own. In some ways, the treatment of illness in the Middle Ages was unchanged since Roman times. One thing that didn t change much was the cures people used for diseases. For example people in the Middle Ages still believed in supernatural causes of illness, like diseases caused by God. So, sometimes, just like the Romans, they still used religious cures like prayers. Also, Galen s ideas were still influential in the Middle Ages. So people used purging or bloodletting to balance the humours. So, in these ways, treatment of illness was unchanged. However, some things did change. For example, the training of doctors was better. This is an example of change because doctors weren t common in Roman Britain. The Roman army had doctors, but they did not treat civilians, so the head of the house hold did. Anyway, Roman doctors did not have to train. This had changed by the late Middle Ages. Medical schools taught the ideas of Galen and Muslim authors. By the 13 th century, towns wanted proof of study from doctors.
Another thing that changed after Roman times was the provision of hospitals. This is an example of change because only the Roman army had hospitals. In the Middle Ages, monks and nuns gave some medical care. By the end of the Middle Ages, there were 1,000 hospitals and houses for special medical problems, like leprosy. Conclusion There is no right answer to this question. The best answers take an overview of the arguments and give your own balanced view. Two options are given below: Overall, I think that medical treatment of illness didn t change that much. It is true that there were better doctors and more hospitals but the most important thing was that the cures used were no different. The cures were the most important thing, but they didn t change that much. Overall, I think that medical treatment of illness changed a lot between Roman times and the Middle Ages. I think this because although they were still using some of the same treatments, like the herbal cures and blood-letting, by that time people were more likely to be treated by a trained doctor, who had studied anatomy, or in a proper hospital which specialised in their illness.