medical medicine

Medieval Society in Britain

• Rural Society: Predominantly farming-based with people living in villages.

• Limited Communication and Transport: Slow spread of new ideas.

• Influence of the Church: Major role in learning and societal ideas.

  • Controlled educational institutions, including universities.

• Government Role: Limited to defense.

  • Local councils had restricted capabilities for public health.

Ideas About the Causes of Disease

• The Four Humours:

  • Originated from Hippocrates and Galen; continued relevance in the Middle Ages.

  • Four humours: Yellow Bile, Black Bile, Blood, and Phlegm.

  • Health depends on balance; treatments include bloodletting and cooling methods.

  • Supported by the Church due to the harmonization of body and soul concepts.

• God's Will:

  • Illness seen as divine punishment or part of a divine plan.

• Astrology:

  • Beliefs that planetary alignment affected health.

  • Initially rejected by the Church, but later accepted as God’s influence.

• Miasma Theory:

  • Illness caused by bad air from rotting matter and foul smells.

Treatment and Care Practices

• Religious Treatments:

  • Included prayer, fasting, and pilgrimages.

• Humoural Treatments:

  • Included bleeding, purging, and bathing; relied heavily on Galenic theory.

• Herbal Remedies:

  • Commonly used; examples include aloe vera and theriaca.

  • Apothecaries could mix remedies but sometimes prescribed harmful substances.

• Physicians:

  • Often trained in universities, reliant on urine and blood samples, astrology, and humoural theories.

  • Treatments were expensive, limiting access to the wealthy.

• Surgery:

  • Performed by barber-surgeons; no effective anesthesia, leading to high risks of blood loss and infection.

• Hospitals:

  • Often church-owned, focusing more on care than cures.

  • Basic nursing provided by monks and nuns; maintained cleanliness and ventilation for recovery.

Methods of Prevention

• Religious Practices:

  • Prayer and confession seen as protective against disease; extreme acts like self-flagellation during the Black Death.

• Hygiene:

  • Emphasis on cleanliness; instructions provided by regimen sanitates.

• Diet:

  • Focus on digestive health; purging seen as preventive.

• Purifying the Air:

  • Use of sweet-smelling herbs and local regulations to combat miasma.

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