Similarity in causes of disease across two periods

Explain one way in which ideas about the causes of disease were similar in the period c1250–c1500 and the period c1500–c1700. (4 marks)

Mark scheme (AO1/AO2):

• 1–2 marks: identifies a valid similarity with limited support.
• 3–4 marks: identifies a valid similarity supported by specific detail from BOTH periods.

Indicative content (Level 2): In both periods the Theory of the Four Humours (Galen) remained dominant. Medieval physicians used uroscopy and bloodletting to rebalance humours; Tudor/Stuart physicians (e.g. members of the Royal College of Physicians, founded 1518) still prescribed purging and bleeding. Even after Vesalius (1543) and Harvey (1628) corrected anatomy, causation remained humoural until Pasteur. Religious/supernatural explanations also persisted — plague (1348) and the Great Plague (1665) both prompted fasting, prayer and processions.