health and the ppl 1000 to present day

Medicine in Middle Ages

Causes of illness -

• unknown doctors (physicians) lacked the scientific and medical knowledge to understand causes

• Ppl who were thought to be witches and demons executed

• Caused by evil spirits living inside someone to attempt to get rid of it they would go church and performed exorcisms

• Punishment from god many ppl prayed for forgiveness

Medicine

The influence of the church- Middle Ages

• the Roman Catholic Church was the main influencer in the medieval Britain it was an extremely powerful organisation and controlled the way many ppl studied and thought about many different subjects including medicine

Medicjne

The influence of the church - Middle Ages

What was encouraged about disease ?

That disease and illness was a punishment from god rather from having a natural cause this then prevented ppl from finding cures all u could do was pray/ repent

Medicine

The influence of the church - Middle Ages

Galen and the church

Galens work supported the design theory and therefore believe god was the creator . This meant that god created humans to be perfect and nothing could go wrong with them unless they sinned . It also prevented anyone from disagreeing with Galen as this would b going against church

Medicne

The influence of the church

Middle Ages

Dissection

Dissection was outlawed meaning the medieval doctors couldn’t discover ideas about human anatomy for themselves instead they had to learn Galens incorrect ideas

Medicine

Diagnosis and treatment of illness - Middle Ages

• the supernatural dominated ideas about diagnosis Zodiac charts urine charts and the doctrine of signatures were all used to explain illness

• Doctors and women healers had a good understanding and knowledge of how to use herbs to treat illness for example balms were made with honey and herbs used to treat breathing problems and eye infections

• Astrology and the movement of the planets was used to diagnose disease . It was developed in Arabic medicine and brought to Europe between 1100 and 1300

• Medieval doctors owned a type of calendar called almanac which included info about planet positions and stars at a given time the doctors then used this to diagnose patients

Medicine

Hippocrates and galen

c.460 -c.337 BC. AD 129-210

• the church really liked galens work bc it supported the design theory that god designed humans and Galen called god the creator

• To produce ideas about anatomy Galen dissected animals such as pigs . But other medieval doctors were not allowed to perform dissections so they continued to learn from galens incorrect ideas

• Hippocrates and Galen wrote down their beliefs abut medicine and books . These books were translated to Latin and were considered important text by the Roman Catholic Church . Like the bible they were considered the absolute truth

• For centuries their books were referred to as the most accurate medieval knowledge even though many of their ideas were incorrect . The training to become a physician was to read church approved texts such as Galen

Medicine

Important theories - Middle Ages

Even though the four humours theory and the miasma theory were both wrong it showed that ppl didn’t just believe in supernatural causes , suggesting that they were not powerless against investigating disease and illness and finding treatments

Medicine

Four humours theory

• the theory of the four humours was created by Ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates he believed that the body was made up of four fluids / humours - black bile yellow bile blood phlegm . They were also linked to the four elements and four seasons . They need to be balanced to be healthy

• Allen another Greek doctor then developed this idea further he worked most of his career in Rome

• Galen believed that to treat imbalance you could out weigh the issue by doing the opposite he thought that diff foods herbs spices and drinks could be used to balance an excess of one humour

Medicine

Miasma theory

Was the idea that bad air/smells caused disease eg bad smell that came from human waste or dead bodies would cause Disease

This theory originated in Ancient Greek and Rome it was also incorporated into galens developed theory about the four humours this became an extremely popular idea at the time

The miasma theory was incredibly influential and lasted untill around 1860s (this is where the germ theory was discovered) But miasma theory did mean that ppl cleaned streets and homes which helped with hygiene and sometimes the spread of disease

ISLAMIC MEDICINE

Middle Ages - Arab doctors kept classical knowledge alive

During the fall of the Roman Empire a lot of medical knowledge was lost but medical ideas like four humours and treatment by opposites were kept alive by Islamic scholars

In the 9th century Hunain ibn ishaq (in Latin known as johannitius) travelled from Baghdad to Byzantium to collect Greek medical texts which he translated into Arabic

Islamic medicine was generally more rational and evidence based that European medicine . This was partly due to their knowledge of classical (Ancient Greek and roman) medical texts

This classical knowledge was eventually brought to Europe by Avicenna (ibn Sina) a Persian who lived from around AD 980 - 1037. Avicenna wrote the cannon of medicine this important text brought together ideas of Hippocrates and Galen

Other Islamic texts were also translated into Latin Spanish or Italian the crusaders also made Europeans aware of the scientific knowledge of Islamic doctors

Making new discoveries -Middle Ages - Islam

Many of the Islamic doctors proved Galen wrong with their new discoveries

• Abu al-qasim (albucasis) c. AD 936 wrote a book describing amputations , the removal of bladder stones and dental surgery - as well as methods for handling fractures , dislocations and the stitching of wounds

• In the 12th century ibn Zuhr (avenzoar) described the parasite that caused scabies and began to question the reliability of Galen

• Another great Islamic doctor who lived in the 13th century also questioned galens ideas. He correctly suggested that blood flowed from one side of the heart to the other via the lungs . Which proved Galen wrong bc he said that blood flowed across the septum. However his ideas were not recognised in the west untill the 20th century

  As in the western world religion strongly influenced medical ideas and both Islam and Christianity prohibited dissection

Middle Ages - Islamic medicine -

Alchemy helped the discovery of new drugs

Alchemy was the attempt to turn base metals into gold and to discover the elixir of eternal life

Alchemy traces its origins back to the Egyptians and it was preserved in the Islamic world

Superstition was the drive behind alchemy . If an experiment was unsuccessful it was likely that it would be blamed on the position of the starts or the spiritual purity of the alchemist

But despite the supernatural aspects of alchemy Arabic alchemists invented useful techniques such as distillation and sublimation and prepared drugs such as laudanum , benzoin and camphor

Treating disease in the Middle Ages - Middle Ages

Prayers and repentance

Many believed that disease was a punishment from god and ppl who were sick were encouraged to pray . The sick prayed the saints in the hope that it would stop illness . Medieval ppl also believed in the pilgrimages and holy shrines

Even many of the doctors had superstitious beliefs for example many use astrology to diagnose and treat illness . Others believe that saying certain words while giving treatment would make it more effective

Others took their repentance one step further in the form of flagellation which is where they whipped themselves in public in order to show god that they were sorry for their sins . This was particularly common during epidemics (eg Black Death)

Treating disease in the Middle Ages - Bloodletting and barber surgeons

Were bloodletting and purging popular treatments ?

Yes

As they aimed to balance the 4 humours

For example if someone had too much bloood inside them the doctor may take blood out of their body - bloodletting . They do this by making small cuts to remove the blood or use blood-sucking leeches

Treating diseases in Middle Ages - bloodletting and barber surgeons

Is bloodletting dangerous ?

Yes and some ppl were accidentally killed bc too much blood was taken

Treating disease in the Middle Ages

Bloodletting and barber surgeons

Describe purging

Purging was the act of getting rid of other fluid in the body by excreting them . For example doctors gave patients laxatives to help during purging process

Treating disease in the Middle Ages

Bloodletting and barber surgeons

Was medical surgery dangerous ?

Yes , there was no way to prevent loss of blood , infection or pain. Therefore it was only attempted with very minor procedures for example treating hernias or cataracts

Treating disease in the Middle Ages

Bloodletting and barber surgeons

Describe the surgeons .

There were a few university trained and highly paid surgeons but surgery was not a respected profession in medieval times most of the operations were carried out by barber surgeons who also cut hair

Treating disease in the Middle Ages - natural remedies and purifying air

What did the miasma theory lead to ?

Led ppl to believe in the power of purifying and cleansing air to prevent sickness and improve hygiene and health

Treating disease in the Middle Ages - natural remedies and purifying the air

What did many doctors carry out

Carried out posies and oranges around with them when they were visiting and treating patients . This was to protect them selves from catching any of the disease

Treating disease Middle Ages natural remedies and purifying air

What happend during Black Death?

Juniper myrrh and incense were all burned so the scent would fill the room and prevent the bad air from brining disease inside

Treating disease in the Middle Ages

Natural remedies and purifying air

Where were remedies bought from?

An apothecary , local wise women or hand made at home . These remedies contained herbs spices and animal parts and minerals and were very popular in medieval Britain

Treating disease in the Middle Ages - natural remedies and purifying air

Were the remedies passed down in generation or written in books ?

Yes the books explained how to mix the herbs . The books were sometimes known as herbals

Treating disease in the Middle Ages

Natural remedies and purifying air

What were other remedies based on ?

superstition such as lucky charms containing powdered unicorns horn

Treating disease in the Middle Ages

Healers

Describe healers

Many people used lots of different healers . Physicians were make doctors who trained at universities for at least 7 yrs to train they read ancient texts as well as the writings from the Islamic world but their training involved little practical experience. They used handbooks and clinical observations to check the patients condition . In 1300 there were less than 100 physician in England and they were very expensive

Treating disease in the Middle Ages

Healers

Apothecary -

Many ppl saw an apothecary, they prepared and sold remedies they also gave advice on how best to use them . Apothecaries were the most common form of treatment in Britain as they were most accessible for those who couldn’t afford physician

Apothecaries were trained through apprenticeships most of them were men but there were also many so called wise women who sold remedies as well

Treating disease in the Middle Ages

Hospitals and surgery

Hospitals and monasteries -

Most public hospitals were set up and run by the church there were few hospitals but popular

The main purpose of hospitals was not to treat disease but to care for the sick and elderly . Hospitals provided patients with free water and a warm place to stay . Most hospitals were more hygienic then elsewhere bc they have developed water and sewage systems

Some monasteries also cared for the sick elderly and poor but most ppl were treated at home by members of the family

Treating disease in the Middle Ages

Hospitals and surgery

Describe hugh of Luca and his son Theodoric and what they did

They both worked as surgeons in Italy in the early 13 th century they recognised the importance of practical experiments and observations they also questioned some of galens ideas

These Italian surgeons began by dressing wounds with bandages soaked in wine as they noticed it helped to keep the wound clean and prevent infection . it’s important to note that they made a discovery by chance

They also realised that puss was not a healthy sign unlike other doctors at the time who might try to cause puss bc they believed it released toxins from the body