medicine ; medieval

Medieval causes

religion - god sent as test, expiation of sins, or punishment

astrology - planets misaligned (people thought this about black death

imbalance of four humours (i.e blood; fever)

miasma

medieval causes stayed the same because…

• church didnt allow disections, as it interfered with afterlife.

→ criminals could die by vivisection but observations were discarded as they were criminals so something was wrong with them

• lack of technology; no printing press so new ideas couldnt be shared

• long lasting belief in galen and hippocrates

medieval treatment

• barber surgeons; humoural treatments like bloodletting

• apothecaries; mixed herbal remedies like theriaca; in 1250-1500 they didnt need qualifications

• physicians; most expensive; urine samples

• women in the home; free ; limited access to herbs

medieval prevention

• regimen sanitatis; loose rules

• church recieved endowments from those hoping to expiate their sins

• purifying air of miasmata using herbs (posy)

medieval case study;black death

• killed 1/3 of country

• led to prices increasing and lack of jobs

• shortage of food as crops left unattended

• characterised black buboes

treatments of black death

humoural; bleeding and purging with emetics

herbal theriaca

lancing buboes

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prevention

• self flaggelation

• move to different area

• posy of flowers to filter miasma

• Quarantine laws; 40 days new people