Medicine through time
Early pandemics: the plague
The bubonic plague, or Black Death, was responsible for killing almost half of the Medieval world population.
Medicine in the Middle Ages, 500CE to 1500CE
Doctors in the Middle Ages did not have access to the advanced knowledge that we do. So what did they know?
The Renaissance: the rebirth of medicine, 14th to 17th century
The Renaissance saw the new availability of older wisdom lead to a period of innovation in science and medicine.
Pioneers of medicine
The work of some individual doctors and scholars has helped to advance medical practice.
Case Study: Cholera
Cholera is a water-borne disease that was responsible for killing thousands of people during the 19th century Europe. Find out how it was eradicated.
Burke and Hare: The body snatchers
In the 19th century, the dead bodies of criminals were often used by doctors to practice dissection. Find out about the grisly role played by the body snatchers.
Government interventions in healthcare
During the 19th century, governments decided that the health of the nation could not be left solely to individuals.
The impact of war on medical developments
Many medical advances of the 20th Century were developed through the treatment of soldiers during World War One and World War Two.