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Curriculum links

This website covers a significant proportion of the Medicine Through Time GCSE curriculum. There are lots of themes and topics for you to explore and find the information that is most relevant to you. We have written a few handy hints below to help you on your way, but it is not an exhaustive list. Remember that you can search for specific individuals who feature in the curriculum using people search. As you and your students also know, the search function is always a useful tool too.

Belief and Medicine

The Belief and medicine theme has information about religion and belief throughout history, including belief in the spirit world, organised religion and pilgrimages, and how religions have affected different medical practices.

This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

  • Causes and cures in the ancient world
  • Belief in spirits and the treatments used by medicine men
  • Asklepios and temple medicine
  • The theory of the four humours
  • The role of magic
  • The continuance of supernatural belief and treatments
  • The impact and nature of Christianity and Islam
  • The impact of religion on medicine
  • Continuing traditional methods - wise women and responses to plagues

    • Diseases and epidemics

    Have a look at the Diseases and epidemics theme if you want information relating to all aspects of disease throughout history, including specific diseases, Hippocrates and Galen.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

  • The impact of Islamic medicine
  • Inoculation and vaccination
  • Contemporary issues
  • The battle against infectious and non-infectious diseases

    • Hospitals

    Have a look at the Hospitals theme if you want to know more about the development of hospitals through time, including teaching within hospitals and the patient’s experience.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

  • The growth of the medical profession
  • The development of hospitals
  • The impact of the National Health Service
  • Changing local and national government involvement in public health

    • Practising medicine

    The Practising medicine theme is all about different medical professions and the way that practices have changed over time. Information includes women in medicine and how people became doctors.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

  • Medicine and health care in the home
  • Priests and doctors
  • Nursing
  • Changes in the training of doctors, nurses and midwives
  • Domestic medicine and childbirth
  • The role of women
  • The growth of a medical profession and the reduced role of women in medical care

    • Public health

    The Public health theme describes the health of the nation and different measures that were put in place to try to create a more healthy population. Information includes the spread of the Black Death, cholera and syphilis as well as the issues related to smoking.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

  • Public health problems - plagues and their treatment in the later Middle Ages, particularly the Black Death and Great Plague in London
  • The impact of industrialisation - pressures on public health provisions
  • Reasons for change in public health provision
  • Medicine in the Middle Ages - living conditions and health and hygiene
  • The nature and impact of epidemics

    • Science and Medicine

    Have a look at the Science and medicine theme if you are interested in scientists, the effects of science and the development of medicine.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

  • The influence of science and technology on medicine
  • Edward Jenner
  • The Hippocratic oath
  • The impact of developments on medical treatment

    • Surgery

    Have a look at the Surgery theme if you are interested in finding out about changes in surgery, such as technological developments and uses of surgery through time, and the royal family’s influence.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

  • Modern surgeries, transplanting organs and plastic surgery
  • Developments in anaesthetics and antiseptics
  • The impact of the two world wars on surgery
  • Joseph Lister Ambroise Paré

    • Treatments and Cures

    The Treatments and cures theme has information about the different ways people have tried to treat disease, such as magic, and exciting discoveries.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

  • Supernatural and natural approaches to medicine
  • The influence of the Renaissance on medicine - new knowledge, ideas and technology
  • The theory of the four humours and resulting treatments
  • Developments in drugs, vaccines and penicillin
  • The fight against disease
  • The influence of science and technology on medicine

    • Understanding the body

    Have a look at the Understanding the body theme if you want to learn more about how diseases affect the body and how knowledge of the body has changed over time.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

    • Developments in knowledge of anatomy
    • The impact of religion on medicine
    • Ancient Egypt and anatomy
    • William Harvey
    • Andreas Vesalius

    War and medicine

    The War and medicine theme describes how war has influenced medical practice, in both positive and negative ways. Information includes long-term effects of war, treatments given to soldiers and new innovations.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

    • Surgery in warfare and its impact on practice
    • Reasons for changes in provision - the influence of war
    • The impact of the two world wars on surgery - plastic surgery and blood transfusions
    • The impact of the two world wars on public health.

    Birth and death

    Take a look at the Birth and Death theme if you are interested in the changing roles of women in medicine, and developments of medical understanding and technology. 

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

    • The growth of the medical professions and the reduced role of women in medical care
    • Nursing
    • Impact and influence of Science and Technology

    Controversies

    Take a closer look at the Controversies theme for examples of the implications and applications of science in medicine, and a wealth of examples of controversies in medical ethics

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

    • Medicine in the industrial and modern world 1750-1900
    • Contemporary issues in medicine
    • Medicine in the 19th and 20th centuries
    • Impact and influence of science and technology on medicine

    Diagnosis

    In Diagnosis you can find out about the different methods used over time and in different cultures to identify disease, and the development of technologies and methods for using them.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

    • The battle against infection
    • The growth of the medical profession
    • The fight against infectious and non infections diseases

    Mental health and Illness

    The Mental health and Illness theme explores the change in understanding of attitudes to mental health in medicine.  This topic is a rich resource for discussions on ethics and the implications and applications of science and medicine.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

    • The impact of developments on the medical profession
    • The growth of the medical profession
    • Contemporary issues

    Technology and Medicine

    Have you considered the interaction between Technology and Medicine? In this theme, discover how technologies from the scalpel to computers have changed the way we can diagnose and treat disease.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

    • Surgery, development and techniques
    • Nursing and caring for the ill
    • The growth of the medical profession, changes in training
    • Public Health
    • Impact and influence of technology

    Traditions

    The Traditions topic explores some of the different traditional medical systems still in use around the world, including Unani Tibb, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Ayurveda. It explores different theories of the body, and how this has influenced ideas about diagnosis and treatment.

    This theme relates to the following aspects of the curriculum:

    • The impact of religion on medicine
    • Continuing traditional methods

     

    For more information about your specific exam board and how the information on this website links to the rest of the curriculum please see cross curriculum links and working with the curriculum in the left-hand menu.