Medieval England: Ideas about the cause of disease and illness

Theory of The Four Humours

Hippocrates belief that the body is made of up four fluids (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile) and that illness occurred when these four were out of balance.

Theory of Opposities

Galens’ belief that an imbalance in the four humours could be rebalanced

Dissection

refers to the process of cutting apart, or dissecting a body to learn about its internal parts

Superstitious

Describes the belief in ideas that are not rational

Astrology

Refers to the belief that the movement and position of the planets influence human lives

rational

something based on reason logic or science

miasma

bad smells that were believed to spread disease

What proportion of people lived in the countryside in England during the Medieval Era?

four in five (80%)

In the Medieval Period, people generally sought what kind of explanations for things that happened to them?

Religious

Who or what controlled access to knowledge during the Medieval period?

The Church

What two theories did the Church support during the Medieval Period?

The Theory of the Four Humours, the Theory of the Opposites

What could happen to someone who questioned the two Theories supported by the Church?

Imprisonment; threatened with hell

What were the four believed causes of disease and illness during the Medieval Period?

God; Astrology; Miasma; The Theory of the Four Humours

According to Medieval Belief, why did cause illness?

As punishment for committing a sin

What is a zodiac?

A constellation that the sun passes through?

What is Astrology?

The belief that the positioning of the planets influence peoples lives

What name do we give to the 12 constellations that the sun passes through?

The zodiac

What name was given to the bad air and horrid smells?

Miasma

What did Hippocrates create to explain the cause of illness and disease?

Theory of the Four Humours

Hippocrates believed that the body was made up of four liquids. What were they?

Yellow bile, black bile, phlegm, blood

According to Hippocrates, what illness would too much blood cause?

A Fever

An imbalance of which humour would give you a runny nose according to Hippocrates?

Phlegm

According to Hippocrates, What might an imbalance of yellow bile cause?

Vomiting