LESSON 7

The Advance of Science and Technology during the Renaissance

(A.D. 1300 - A.D. 1550 in the Western world)

Content Standard:
The learners demonstrate an understanding of the advancement of Science and
Technology during the Renaissance period.

Learning Outcomes:
The students will be able to:
Describe the development of Science and technology during Renaissance period;
Explicate and recognize the significance of the technology invented during the
Renaissance period;
Recognize and appreciate the works of the different proponents of the Renaissance period.

Word Bank:
Renaissance, printing press, parachute, alchemy, newspaper, circulation

DISCUSSION

Renaissance was a time of creativity and change in Europe, It was a rebirth of cultural
and intellectual pursuits after the stagnation Of the Middle Ages. The Renaissance produced
a golden age with many achievements in art, literature, and science, but most importantly,
it produced a new concept of how people thought of themselves, each other, and the world
around them.
The Renaissance was centered in Italy during the 1300s, before spreading throughout
Europe in the 1500 and 1600s. Great advances occurred in geography, astronomy,
chemistry, physics, mathematics, manufacturing, anatomy and engineering.

Science and Technology Development:

• Michaelangelo is known as sculptor, painter, poet, engineer, and architect. His
famous works include the mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the sculpture
of the biblical character David.
• The most important technological innovation of the time was the invention of the
printing press. This was introduced from China in the 1300s. By the 1400sy movable
type was being used in Europe as Johann Gutenberg began printing the Bible in
every language. Soon millions of books were in circulation. This invention led to a
higher literacy rate among people, and helped with the spreading of Renaissance
ideas.
• Some important Renaissance technologies include both innovations and
improvements on existing techniques such as:
 ➢ mining and metallurgy: blast furnace, finery forge, slitting mill, arquebus and
musket
➢ firearms, and the nautical compass — these inventions allowed modern people
to communicate, exerciSe power, and finally travel at distances unimaginable in
earlier times.
➢ Parachute: Veranzio's 1595 parachute design titled "Flying Man"
➢ Mariner's astrolabe: The earliest recorded uses of the astrolabe for navigational
purposes.
➢ Dry dock and floating dock
➢ Newspaper is an offspring of the printing press from which the press derives its
name. The 16th century sees a rising demand for up-to-date information which
cannot be covered effectively by the circulating hand-written newssheets. For”
gaining time" from the slow copying process, Johann Carolus of Strassburg
is the first to publish his German-language Relation by using a printing press
➢ Air-gun: an air-gun equipped with a powerful spiral spring.

Alchemy — is the study of the transmutation of materials through obscure processes.

It is sometimes described as an early form of chemistry. One of the main aims of alchemists
was to find a method of creating gold from Other substances. Medieval alchemists worked
with two main elements, sulphur and mercury. Paracelsus was an alchemist and physician
of the Renaissance. Paracelsians added a third element, salt, to make a trinity of alchemical
elements.
Astronomy -- Nicolaus Copernicus (1473—1543). Founded the theory of Heliocentric,
that the earth revolved around the sun. Sun is the center of solar system. His book De
revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), was finally
published in 1543. A comparison of his work with the Almagest shows that Copernicus was
in many ways a Renaissance scientist rather than a revolutionary.
Medicine — With the Renaissance came an increase in experimental investigation,
principally in the field of dissection and body examination, thus advancing our knowledge of
human anatomy.
The development of modern neurology began in the 16th century with Andreas
Vesalius (1514-1564), who described the anatomy of the brain and other organs; In 1543,
he published one of the most famous publications in natural philosophy his anatomical book
Defabrica (On the Fabric ofthe Human Body). It was arguably the most important anatomical
texts of the century, at once criticizing the work of the ancients, principally Galen, offering
new illustrations based on first-hand observation and fresh dissections.
• Few effective drugs existed, beyond opium and quinine.
• William Harvey provided a refined and complete description of the circulatory system.
The most useful tomes in medicine, used both by students and expert physicians,
were materiae medicae and pharmacopoeiae.
• Otto Brunfels (1530-1536) published Portraits of Living Plants, a botanical work that
employed freshly drawn illustrations from living plants, undermining the practice of
copying drawings from existing accounts.
 DO YOU KNOW?

Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, an example of the blend of art and science during
the Renaissance. Leonardo Da Vinci studied anatomy, famous works include paintings
Mona Lisa and The Last Supper

The inventions of mechanical printing press made possible the dissemination of

knowledge to Wider population tt led to a gradually more egalitarian society and able to
dominate other cultures.