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How Did The Renaissance Contribute To The Development Of Modern Medicine?

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Medicine has become so advanced in the previous centuries that it is a wonder how the medical discoveries of today have been fueled by those made during the Renaissance. As the mindset of those living in Europe during that time changed from religion to self-discovery, medical research began to expand and grow to a more scientific approach. Though several were unable to read, they became more aware of themselves and humanity compared to their earlier religious views on life, causing them to take a closer look at the human anatomy. During the English Renaissance, physicians began to advance the scientific study of medicine leading to the development of modern medical practices, and making a more profound impact than previous eras.
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The citizens of today are living well beyond their fifties, and some are even living past their nineties. As more and more citizens began to discover different aspects of life, their approach to medicine began to change as it neared the end of the Medieval Era.
Though the Church still controlled most hospitals, physicians began to research and experiment with human anatomy. Before, dissections would be made using animals instead of humans. Soon their practices were dispelled by a physician, Andreas Vesalius. “Vesalius conducted his own anatomical dissections on human cadavers and found that Galen’s teaching […] did not always apply to humans” (Shane 26). At the time, dissecting a human was against the word of God, to do so would be unholy. The Church began to reconsider after Vesalius’ findings but they still did not allow the dissection of “God fearing bodies.” Instead, they allowed for the use of criminal bodies once they were executed, or even while they were still alive as a source of torture (“History of Medicine” 2011). Though some may see the practice as inhumane, it opened up many windows for physicians, giving them a chance to go against the Church but still being able to live with the word of God.
During the early modern period, hospitals in Europe's urban centers […] came under the control of nonreligious groups[…] At the same time, more positive ideas of keeping a person's good health and being cured of sickness suggested that illness was

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