The Middle Ages

Which years and centuries were the medieval period?

1250 - 1500, 13th - 15th century.

What were the main 4 ideas about cause of disease in the medieval period and explain what people believed about them.

• Religion - punishment from God for committing sin ,testing belief.

• Miasma - bad air.

• Astrology - position of stars and planets, alignments of them.

• Theory of 4 Humours - Hippocrates, blood, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile.

Explain why there was continuity in ideas about the cause of disease during 1250 - 1500.

• Galen’s ideas were very popular, taught in medical universities, physicians wouldn’t be able to get a job if didn’t follow his ideas.

• Catholic Church taught to not look for new ideas, instead to follow Galen as his theories fit idea of God creating every part of body, almost all books written by monks, banned dissections, soul re-enter body Judgement Day.

• All trainee physicians taught to follow Galen’s theories, textbook ‘Articella’

• Lack of scientific evidence, most scientists not able to find other theories, Articella taught all needed to know, dissections banned so could not see inside body, people executed if performed a dissection.

How were illnesses treated through religious means during the Middle Ages?

• healing prayers and incantations.

• paying for special mass, fasting.

• touching holy relics from shrine or skeleton.

• lighting a candle as tall as the body part you wanted to heal.

• king touching you as he is chosen by God.

How were illnesses treated through natural means in the Middle Ages?

• herbal remedies, which could be eaten, smelt, burnt or bathed in.

• some herbs: aloe vera, mint, camomile, rose oil.

• theriaca was commonly used, contained ginger, pepper, saffron.

• warm baths, draw heat into body to dissolve blockages to the humours.

How were illnesses treated through supernatural means in the Middle Ages?

• boil a fox in water, then bathe in the water.

• people thought quick properties of a fox would be transferred through the water into the patient.

What was purging?

a way to balance the humours by purging the digestive system to remove any leftover food, making them vomit or giving laxatives.

What was bloodletting?

most common treatment to balance humours, idea that some of the humours could be removed by removing some blood, cutting veins, leeches or cupping.

What was Regimen Sanitatis?

a loose set of instructions provided by physicians to help a patient maintain good health. included exercising, not overeating, enough sleep, avoiding stress, regular bathing.

Describe medieval hospitals

• around 1200 in medieval England

• very small

• CARE NOT CURE, infectious diseases not allowed in, monks and nuns worked there

• took in elderly, poor travellers, pilgrims on religious journeys

• very small number of specialist hospitals for infectious diseases such as leprosy (causes sores, damage to nerves), some hospitals for poor pregnant women and mental health conditions.

What were the 4 types of healer in the Middle Ages?

• physicians - diagnose illness, sample of patients blood, urine, etc, consult astrological charts. NOT accessible to the poor working class

• apothecaries - herbal remedies, not considered as skilled or knowledgeable as physicians, cheaper, no university

• surgeons - highly trained, went to uni, skilled surgeons could set broken limb, remove an arrow, remove cataracts from eye. BARBER surgeons - least qualified, small surgeries like pulling teeth and blood letting.

• care at home - women cared for relatives, mixing remedies, making the ill comfortable, expected to grow plants and herbs such as clover, some did minor surgeries and bleeding. WISE WOMEN.

When did the Black Death begin and end?

1348 - 1349

What was the theory of the 4 humours?

Hippocrates - body contained 4 fluids, blood, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile. if they become unbalanced, you become ill.

What was the theory of opposites?

Galen - balance humours by giving the patient the opposite of their symptoms. e.g too much phlegm, give hot peppers

Did the Church have a lot of power in the Middle Ages?

Yes, everyone followed the church, so they believed whatever they said without question, they taught people, like physicians, banned dissections so no new ideas, in charge of writing books, promoted Galen, follow Jesus’ example, hospitals in monasteries.

What was the Black Death?

bubonic plague, carried by fleas living on black rats, which brought disease to different countries on trading ships. passed to humans when an infected flea bites them and disease enters blood.

What were some symptoms of the Black Death?

• swelling of lymph glands into large lumps filled with pus (buboes)

• fever and chills

• headache

• vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain

What percentage of hospitals were owned and run by the church?

30%

What proportion of England died from the Black Death?

1/3