History- Medicine: Medieval Era

What were the attitudes of the church during the medieval era?

-Conservative mindset

-Respect for tradition creating resistance to change

How did people communicate in the medieval era?

-Printing press wasn’t made until 1440

-Most people illiterate (50% large towns 15th century)

-Monks copied books- religious teachings

What was the role of the church in education?

-Funded universities

-Doctors predominantly learnt from books

-Banned dissection

-Limited Experiments

What was the role of the church in the governemnt?

-King had no duty to improve health

-Local government had little power to take action

How did people use god as a cause of disease?

-Disease is a punishment from god/test of faith

-Lack of alternate scientific knowledge

How did people use god to treat disease?

-Prayer

-Catholic Mass

-Pilgrimage

-Kings touch (e.g cures scrofula)

How did people use god to prevent disease?

-Prayers

-Avoiding sin

-Good Hygiene (good hygiene= god’s favour)

How did people use astrology to see the cause of diseases?

-Health is affected by the position of planets/stars, especially at birth

-Church only accepted after 1348 Black Plague (fortune-telling)

-Fit with Hippocrates teachings (planets/starts affects humors)

How did people use astrology to diagnose diseases?

-Physicians checked star charts at patients birth before diagnosis

What did Galen and Hippocrates do?

-Theory of 4 Humors/Theory of Opposites (Galen)

-Work so detailed it was hard to challenge

What were the four humors?

-Phlegm

-Black bile

-Yellow bile

-Blood

How did people use the 4 humours to treat disease?

-Bring patients humors back into balance

-Purging (laxative/emetics)

-Bloodletting (leeches, cups)

-Bathing (unblocks humors)

-Opposites (Galen) e.g too much phlegm (wet+cold) - chilli (hot)

-Herbal remedies

-Warm, moist dishes

How did people use the 4 humours to prevent disease?

-Moderate diet

-Purging to clear digestive system

What was miasma?

-Bad air and smells caused disease

What was the origin of the word miasma?

-Came from Galen + Hippocrates “bad smelling swamp”

-Religion- bad smells associated with sin

Prevention of Disease: Miasma

\-Bathing (private/public bath, rivers)

\-Clean homes, hanging sweet herbs

\-Carrying posies

What was the role of physicians as treaters of disease?

-University educated

-Expnesive

-Diagnosing disease for the rich (star charts, urine charts, humors)

-Matched remedies to individual symptoms

-Did not treat/do surgery/ meet their patients in person

What was the role of apothecaries as treaters of disease?

-Cheap

-Mixed remedies

-Gave medicines/ herbal remedies

What was the role of barber surgeons as treaters of disease?

-Cheap, lacked training

-Basic procedures e.g tooth pulling

What was the role of skilled surgeons as treaters of disease?

-Highly trained, expensive

-More complex procedures e.g setting limbs

What was the role of hospitals as treaters of disease?

-Run by church, funded by charity

-Clean + hygienic places

-Prayer, rest, food,herbal remedies (not medical)

-Most did not admit infectious/pregnant people

What was the role of wise women as treaters of disease?

-Grew herbs and mixed remedies

-Most common medical carer

What were key features of the Black Death?

-1348-9

-Bubonic (40% death rate) fleas on rats

-Pneumonic (100% death rate) coughs and sneezes

What did people believe caused the black death?

-Miasma (most popular)

-Unbalanced humors

-Planets misaligned

-Punishment for sin

-Contact with sick

How did people try to treat the black death?

-Prayer

-Bleeding/purging

-Herbal Remedies

-Bursting buboes

How did people try to prevent the black death?

-Prayer, pilgrimage, flagellation

-Holding posies

-Quarantines (local government lacked power to enforce)

-Stopping cleaning streets (smell would drive of miasma)

When was Hippocrates born/died?

470-360 BCE

When was Galen born/died?

129-216 AD