C1250-C1500 Middle Ages

What is an estimate for how many people died during the black death?

Some hisotrians think that at least a third of the British population died as a result of the Black Death.

When was miasma developed?

Fourth century B.C.

What were conditions like in hospitals?

• Usually, peple with infectious disease or incurable conditions were not admitted

• Patients and their surroundings were kept very clean

• Hospitals were places of recovert rather than places where patients were treated for disease

• They were run by the Church, so the emphasis was on God and healing souls

What theory did Galen develop?

The Theory of Opposites.

What was the effect of the Church's control over medicine?

There was very little change in ideas about the causes of disease.

What was the Theory of Four Humours?

The theory of Four of Four Humours suggested that the body is made up of four fluids and they needed to be in balance for good health.

How did people in Winchester attempt to prevent the spread of disease?

• some people in Winchester thought you could catch the plague from being to close to bodies of dead victims.

• When the town's cemetry became too full to take any new victims, the townspeople refused to let the bishop extend the cemetry ni the town centre.

• Instead they insisted on building new cemetries outside of the town, away from houses.

When was astrology developed and brought to Europe?

Between 1100 and 1300.

When did the black death arrive in Britain?

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In 1348.

How did Kind Edward III attempt to prevent the spread of the Black Plague?

• In 1349 he sent an order to the Lord Mayor of London to remove filfth from the city streets to trmove bad smells.

• In Janruary 1349, Kind Edward III closed Parliament.

What were a lot of Hippocrates and Galen's theories based on and how did that make them inaccurate?

Dissections of animals which have very different bodies to humans.

What did the Church teach was the cause of disease?

God made people ill because He was either displeased with them or testing their faith.w

What were religious treatments for disease?

Praying
Fasting
Going on a pilgrimage
Praying for a special mass to be said

How did the people in Gloucester attempt to prevent the spread of the Black Plague?

• Gloucester tried to shut itself off from the ourside world after hearing the Black Death had reached Bristol.

• This suggests that they though the plague was spread by human contact.

• Their attempot at prevention was unsueccessul - many people died in the town of the Black Death.

When did the Black Plague reach London?

by Nov 1348

What were traditional remedies?

Herbal remedies which were drunk, sniffed or bathed in.
Foods to rebalance humours.
Ointments to rebalance the humours.

What were the symptoms of the pneumonic plague?

It attacked the lungs and made it difficult to breathe and caused victims to cough up blood.

How was the pneumonic plague spread?

It was airborne and so was spread by coughs and sneezes.

How did the Church control ideas?

The Church was the centre of formal learning (it set up and ran universities where physicians were trained).
• Most large collections of books were in monasteries so the Church had influence over what books were written and read.
• The Church outlawed dissection so doctors couldn't discover ideas about human anatomy for themselves.

What are emetics?

Medicines which make you vomit.

How was the bubonic plague spread?

By the bites of fleas from rats carried on ships

How did people thinking that the Black Death was caused by astrology react to it?

By using charms and "magin" potions containing arsenic.

Where did bad air according to miasma come from?

Anything that creates a bad smell.

How did people thinking that the Black Death was a punishment from God react to it?

By praying and fasting.

How was bloodletting done?

By cutting a vein, using leeches or by cupping.

What did people believed caused the Black Death?

• Judgement from God

• Humour imbalances

• Miasma

• Astrology

How was purging done?

By making a patient vomit it gongi the toilet to remove from the body.

Who treated the sick?

• Care in the home

• Barber-surheons

• Apothecaries

• Physicians

What did physcians do?

• Observed patient's symptoms and checked their pulse, skin colour and urine.

• They consulted urine charts in their handbook.

• They consulted zodiac charts to help diagnose illnesses ad to work out how to treat the patient.

• They either treated the patient themself (this was rare) or sent them to a barber-surgeon or apothecary.

Why was the death toll so high during the Black Death?

As people didn't know the cause of disease.

How did people thinking that the Black Death was caused by miasma react to it?

By carrying strong smelling herbs or lit fires to purify the air.

What did doctors who used astrology believe in?

The alignment of plants was thought to cause some diseases.

What were the symptoms of the bubonic plague?

Headaches and a high temperature, followed by pus-filled swelling on the skin.