New
New
Year 10
AQA

John Hunter

I can explain the significance of John Hunter’s medical work in the 18th century.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

John Hunter

I can explain the significance of John Hunter’s medical work in the 18th century.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. John Hunter practised surgery in hospitals and in the army.
  2. Hunter was a supporter of the scientific method.
  3. Hunter made new discoveries through observation and experimentation, for example, about gunshot wounds.
  4. Hunter's incorrect ideas about venereal diseases were accepted for many years.

Keywords

  • Scientific method - approach to testing and gaining knowledge based on observation and experimentation

  • Venereal - caused or spread by sexual activity with another person

Common misconception

John Hunter's medical impact was entirely beneficial.

Hunter's ideas about venereal disease were incorrect but widespread respect for his expertise meant this mistake wasn't corrected for decades.


To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: John Hunter, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Ask pupils to compare Hunter's impact to Thomas Sydenham's, another supporter of the scientific method. Ask whose work was more significant for medical progress in the 17th and 18th centuries. Pupils might be encouraged to consider possible links between the work of the two men.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
  • Depiction or discussion of sexual content

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Social refers to the practice of keeping away from other people as much as possible, in order to stop a disease from spreading.
Correct Answer: distancing
Q2.
An is when a large number of people get the same disease over the same period of time.
Correct Answer: epidemic
Q3.
How did the death tolls of the Black Death and Great Plague compare?
Correct answer: The Black Death was deadlier than the Great Plague.
The Great Plague was deadlier than the Black Death.
The Black Death and Great Plague were equally deadly.
Q4.
How long were infected households quarantined for during the Great Plague?
14 days
28 days
Correct answer: 40 days
Q5.
Identify the examples of social distancing from the Great Plague.
Correct answer: closing down theatres
bloodletting
Correct answer: fleeing from infected areas
burning herbs on street corners
physicians wearing bird-like masks
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
1 - Galen produces his medical works
2 - Black Death
4 - Vesalius corrects some of Galen's errors
5 - William Harvey publishes his theory of blood
6 - Great Plague

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
What word is used to describe something caused or spread by sexual activity with another person?
Correct Answer: venereal
Q2.
John Hunter worked as an surgeon which helped him correct ideas about gunshot wounds.
Correct Answer: army
Q3.
Some of John Hunter's work was published in the journal "Philosophical Transactions". Which organisation published this journal?
Correct answer: Royal Society
Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Surgeons
Q4.
was encouraged to follow the scientific method by John Hunter, which helped him discover a new method for preventing smallpox infections.
Correct Answer: Edward Jenner
Q5.
Which two diseases did John Hunter believe were the same?
cholera
Correct answer: gonorrhoea
plague
smallpox
Correct answer: syphilis
Q6.
How did John Hunter's work negatively affect medical progress?
encouraged excessive use of amputations
Correct answer: shared incorrect ideas about venereal disease
suggested book-led learning was the only way to gain medical knowledge

Additional material

Download additional material