Key individuals during the medieval era

John Arderne

A surgeon with high survival rates of over 50%. Developed a pain killing ointment which helped him develop amputation skills. Wanted doctors to trust their own judgement instead of relying on old texts by Galen. Developed safer treatments for anal abscesses

Roger Bacon

Arrested around 1277 for spreading anti Christian views after questioning the church's stance on Galen

Robert Grosseteste

Advocated for scientific enquiry. Worked on optics which led to the development of spectacles.

Caliph Harun al-Rashid

Set up a new hospital in Baghdad in 805CE with a medical school and library. Encourage Greek medical books to be translated into Arabic

Caliph al-Mamum

Turned a large library into ‘The house of wisdom’, a study centre for scholars

Razhes

Urged for observation and natural treatments for patients. Criticised Galen’s ideas in one of his books ‘Doubts about Galen’. Distinguished measles from smallpox

Avicenna

‘Canon of Medicine’ was translated into Latin. This encyclopedia became the standard European medical textbook to reach doctors. Discovered new causes of pain and listed medical properties of 760 different drugs. Improved Galen’s theory on how the pulse worked

Abulcasis

Invented 26 new surgical instruments and described new procedures including ligatures. Popularised cauterisation

Hugh of Lucca and Theodoric

Wrote a book in 1267 criticising the view that pus was needed to heal a wound. Discovered new methods of removing arrowheads. Their ideas about preventing infection was unpopular

De Chauliac

His textbook ‘Great Surgery’ dominated French and English surgical knowledge for 200 years. Quoted Galen 890 times.

John Bradmore

He removed an arrowhead that was 6 inches deep into the skull of Henry V. He used honey as an antispetic