medieval britain - people's health (1250-1500)

describe how the countryside was helpful for health

• agricultural labour was hard, but was communal and out in the fresh air

• shared water source allowed medieval peasants to catch fish, which allowed them to still eat protein on Fridays

• countryside contained common land where all peasants could graze their livestock

• open wood fires meant peasants could cook warm food and kill pathogens

• lack of windows kept country dwellings warm

• surplus of green space meant peasants could grow their own vegetables in kitchen gardens

  • each kitchen harden had a midden tip; where food waste was thrown and used as fertiliser

describe how the countryside was hazardous for health

• poor weather in the countryside led to bad harvest and potential starvation

  • 1315-1316 - Great Famine led to 10% of England’s population dying

• in damp conditions, claviceps purpurea (fungus) grew on rye, which was used to make cheap bread

  • this fungus caused ergotism, which was untreatable in medieval England

  • a believed cure for ergotism was flagellance; where people whipped themselves in the streets

• fulling mills and textile industries along the banks of local water sources created woven cloth with a mixture that was mostly urine

  • this contaminated local water sources with urine

• peasant homes, where wood fires would occur, had no chimneys, meaning smoke would accumulate in houses, causing risks to respiratory health through poor ventilation

• livestock would have to be brought into the home at night to be protected

  • close proximity of animals to humans led to the spread of communicable disease between species

• chronic diarrhoea was a serious problem in the countryside due to a lack of hygiene when using cesspits and not being able to regularly sanitise and clean yourself

• peasants may have used the same carts that transported midden waste to transport good such as food and textiles

describe the growth in London’s population, 1100-1300

growth of 500% in 200 years

why did people move to London, 1250-1400

• economic prosperity

  • London was financially-important to the monarchy

• social freedoms - city was able to self-govern

  • allowed English people freedom and autonomy from Norman rule

• own legislation

  • if a serf escaped to London and could survive for a year and a day, they could become a free man

describe how London’s rapidly increasing population caused issues

• LACK OF SUFFICIENT WATER SOURCES

  • led to people having to collect water from dirty sources

  • no water available for proper public sanitation - baths, hygiene

• LACK OF SPACING FOR NEW, ADEQUATE HOUSING

  • old Roman structures of the city limited its capabilities of spreading its area

  • this caused people to live in cramped quarters that were densely populated with numerous other families

  • this led to the quick spread of contagious diseases; especially amongst the proletarian classes

• INSUFFICIENT SEWAGE SYSTEMS

  • this led to waste accumulating in rivers and streets

  • believed by medieval populations to “corrupt the air” and cause miasma

state the average life span of medieval person living in London

35-40

describe the streets of London

• CONTAINED

  • wet, compacted mud

    • few solid pavements as these were expensive

  • animal dung

  • animal entrails/carcasses

  • beer

  • urine and excrement

    • privies were a luxury, many used chamber pots whose contents were thrown out windows into the streets

describe the job of muckrakers

• they gathered filth and rubbish from the street

• they took the waste as far from the city as possible using carts or boats

describe the job of surveyors of the pavements

• had to maintain the muckrakers

• and the waste system

describe the job of gongfermers

• medieval drain cleaners

• had to clean cesspits and privies

• Thomas Mason - managed to clean up to 6 tonnoes of human and animal waste on one street over the course of 1 night

describe the risks of medieval waste management jobs

• London created 50 tonnes of waste a day

• chance of being asphyxiated by noxious fumes

• chance of contracting dangerous diseases when cleaning cesspits

• risk of drowning when cleaning cesspits

• gongfermer average wage - 18 pence per tonne of waste

  • labourer wage - 6 pence per day

why was bathing in the Thames problematic

• many gongfermers dumped biological waste into the River Thames due to laziness

• as trade grew in London, many businesses dumped their waste into the river

• butchers dumped animal carcases and entrails into the river

describe the medieval cure for eye infection

• ground up dog excrement was blown into the eye

• it was believed that this would irritate the eye and make it water

• this was believed to remove pollutants from the eye

describe the medieval cure for madness

• make y-shaped cut into the skull and peel back the skin

• drain ‘evil spirits’ from the brain

• demonstrates the influence of religion on medieval medical understanding

describe the medieval cure for dark/cloudy urine

• patient would be bled using leeches

  • richer classes would pay to be bled once a year as medieval medicine prescribed it as good for you

1310

scouring of pigs in the streets was made illegal

state common medieval diseases

• ergotism

• typhoid

• dysentery

• black death

state the 3 forms of black death

• bubonic

• pneumonic

• septicaemic

state the symptoms of bubonic plague

• buboes

• fever

• vomiting

• diarrhoea

state the symptoms of pneumonic plague

• fever

• aches

• coughing

state the symptoms of septicaemic plague

• fever

• chills

• weakness

• digits and nose turning black

state the contemporary name for the black death

pestilence

state what bacillus caused black death

yersinia pestis

1348

date black death arrived in Melcombe, England

state the animal that carried pestilence

fleas

state the animal that carried fleas that had contracted pestilence

rats

state the medieval beliefs about the causes of pestilence

• punishment from God

• miasma

• ‘rumours’ out of balance

• looking a plague victim in the eye

describe how believing the plague was caused by punishment from God affected the responses of medieval England

• CAUSED MEDIEVAL POPULATIONS TO

  • increase prayers

  • attend a surplus of liturgies held in the church

    • actually helped spread the disease due to the close proximity of populations

  • flagellants were out on the streets

describe how believing the plague was caused by miasma affected the responses of medieval England

caused medieval populations to purify the air; through the burning of herbs and incense

describe how believing the plague was caused by rumours being out of balance affected the responses of medieval England

caused medieval populations to diet and increase blood letting

1349

• King Edward III sent a letter to the Mayor of London to improve London’s sanitation

  • “filth lying in the streets … to be removed with all speed”

  • “so that no greater causes of mortality may arise from such smells”

state three reasons why churches and monasteries required clean water

• water was blessed and used in baptisms

• water was used to wash sacred linen altar cloths

• water was used to wash silver cups used by monks during liturgies

state three buildings within churches that used clean water to aid public health

• infirmaries

• dormitory areas

• guest houses

state the medieval name for the pipe systems that allowed for the transportation of water to cathedral, monasteries and towns

conduit

describe the actions taken by the monarchy, 1250-1348, to improve public health

• 1272-1327 - Edward I granted permission for over 50 towns to raise money for market places and streets

• 1301 - Edward I gave order in York to clear the filth from the streets and to introduce new regulations to keep towns clean

explain the motivations behind the actions taken by the monarchy, 1250-1348, to improve public health

• 1301 - Edward I used York as his own base in the north while he fought wars against the Scottish

• cleaner streets meant more trade, which could increase tax for Edward I

• cleaner streets meant the formation of miasma would decrease drastically

describe the actions taken by towns, 1250-1348, to improve public health

• 1287-1289 - naming and shaming of people in Norwich who polluted streets or waterways

• Bristol - councillors passed many by-laws, some of which were aimed to make the town more pure by moving filth to the outskirts:

  • dungheaps - these caused smells which people believed corrupted the air and caused miasma

  • lepers - their breath was believed to corrupt the air and cause miasma

  • prostitutes - they were sinful and it was believed sin caused miasma

explain the motivations behind the actions taken by towns, 1250-1348, to improve public health

• many people, due to laziness and insufficient sanitation infrastructure dumped their waste into the street

• this affected their neighbours through its foul smell and was believed to cause miasma

describe the actions taken by guilds, 1250-1348, to improve public health

• 1329 - checks on quality of meat in Winchester by the Butcher’s Guild

• fines were imposed if standards weren’t met

explain the motivations behind the actions taken by guilds, 1250-1348, to improve public health

keeping quality of meat high allowed butchers to keep their prices high and maintain customer trust

1385

warden was appointed to check whether London’s streets were clear of ‘filth and dunghills’

1479

• gongfermers and paviours in London formed a guild

• London had employed these professionals to clean the streets and cesspits of London since 1302

• gongfermers could earn a lot from cleaning waste

1415

• Mayor of London, Nicholas Wotton, ordered the rebuilding of a latrine near Moorgate

  • this is due to this latrine flooding neighbouring properties and causing sickness by “corrupting the air”

  • London had set out rules about the positioning of latrines at the end of the 12th century, but it was hard to enforce as London’s population grew

1488

Butcher’s guild built a very expensive underground passage

1417

• London closed it ‘stews’ (public baths) due to the prevalence of the plague

  • ‘stews’ also served as brothels

  • medieval people believed the hot air at the ‘stews’ caused miasma to enter the body

  • the sinful actions of the brothels created the miasma

1419

London recorded all its health regulations in a special White Book because the plague had killed many of the older officials who knew ancient health rules that were only communicated orally

1393

London’s authorities built a jetty out onto the Thames so that animal carcasses could always be carried away by boat

1478

• London expelled tawyers (anima skinners) from the city for dumping waste into the Thames

  • however, this just moved the problem to the suburbs, which was already in worse condition than London

1430s

• Mayor of London, John Wells, organised the replacement and extension of the pipes that supplied London with fresh spring water

  • Wells and other wealthy citizens gave money to the city in their wills to improve water supplies and build public latrines

  • this was done to please God and their fellow Londoners