medicine

time periods

medieval = 1000 - 1500

renaissance = 1500 - 1700

industrial = 1700 - 1900

modern = 1900 - present

factors

war

religion

individuals

chance

government

communication

economy

science and technology

themes

surgery (plain, bleeding, infection)

public health

disease

four humors

hippocratic idea

galen took it and ran - theory of opposites and treatments for each of the four

treatments included blood-letting, purging, and spicy food

needed to be balanced

medieval doctors

barber surgeons - did blood-letting and amputations in barber shops, taught as apprentices 

wise women + apothecaries - herbal remedies and supernatural ideas

trained doctors - in large towns and very expensive, trained for 7 years but learnt from textbooks not experience (less than 100 in 1300)

natural medieval causes

miasma - bad air = people cleaned streets

four humors

clinical observation

urine chart 

supernatural medieval causes

position of stars

divine retribution (punishment from god) = prayer, exorcisms, pilgrimages

astrological charts

church contributed 

700 public hospitals

monastic hospitals

care not cure 

preserved ancient texts

church hindered

outlawed dissections

insisted galen’s ideas were correct

believed disease was sent by god so could be cured by prayer and pilgrimage 

lots of cross contamination

islamic ideas

all diseases had a cure

gained knowledge from ancient texts 

also banned dissection

hygiene was important to health

bimaristans (islamic hospitals) treated and cared for patients

invented various anaesthetics

rhazes 865-925

distinguished measles and small pox

wrote over 150 books

followed galen but was critical - wrote a book called doubts about galen

avicenna 980 - 1037

wrote an encyclopaedia of greek and islamic medicine called the canon of medicine including the properties of 760 different drugs and discussing anorexia and obesity

standard european text book till 17th century

ibn al-nafis

13th century concluded galen was wrong (claimed heart circulated via lungs)

islam prohibited dissection and his books weren’t translated to the west

europeans followed galen till 17th century 

limits of medical surgery

procedures = bloodletting, purging, trepanning, cauterisation

had no idea dirt caused disease

no effective painkillers 

natural anaesthetics used however dosage often killed patients

hugh of lucca and his son theodore

1267 criticised the idea that pus was necessary for wounds to heal

used wine on wounds to reduce chance of infection

ideas clashed with hippocrates so weren’t very popular

john of ardene 

set up the guild of surgeons in london in 1368

surgical manual practica 1376 based on greek and arab knowledge 

medieval public health