Ideas on the cause of disease in the Middle Ages

Who was Hippocrates

A Greek doctor and teacher who created the theory of the four humours

What were the four humours

Black bile, yellow bile, blood and phlegm

If you were ill, what did that mean in terms of humours

Your humours were imbalanced

Hippocrates believed you saw evidence of imbalanced humours when you were sick. Give an example

Nosebleed if you had too much blood

How would you cure illness to make humours balanced again

Get rid of the humour that was unbalanced, e.g. use leeches or cups to remove excess blood

Who was Galen

A Roman doctor that developed the four humours by creating the theory of opposites

What was the theory of opposites

If you had too much of a humour, you needed to cure it with the opposite

Give an example of the theory of opposites

If you had too much phlegm, which is cold and wet, you were given something spicy which is hot and dry

Which corporation supported the idea of the four humours

The church

How did physicians put the theory of four humours into practice

• all physicians taught about it when educated by church

• Used urine charts linked to humours to check colour, smell and taste

What was miasma

‘Bad air’

How did people say miasma caused illness

Dirt/waste from the streets poisoned the air, causing illness

Why did miasma seem logical

Dirty places smelt bad

Which individuals supported the idea of miasma

Hippocrates and Galen

What did the bible teach about diseases

They were a punishment from god for their sins or a way of god testing your faith

What was a common disease linked to sin

Leprosy

Which event did people believe was a punishment for sins

The 1348-49 Black Death

Many people in the Middle Ages were superstitious. What does this mean

Believing in supernatural like witchcraft and astrology

How was astrology used in medical training and physicians

• Used planetary movements and zodiac signs in their treatment

• Physicians believed the stars and planets affected your health and caused disease, e.g. movement of Saturn and Jupiter was to blame for Black Death

What were other believed causes of disease within the supernatural

Witchcraft, bad luck, blaming minority groups like Jewish people, who were blamed for poisoning wells