Medicine

What did people in medieval England believe caused disease?

Religious explanation, supernatural explanation, miasma & theory of the 4 humours

What new ideas were there about the causes of disease in this time period?

None

What was the religious explanation of disease?

Sent by God as a punishment for sin & to test people’s faith

What was the supernatural explanation of disease?

Movement & misalignment of planets & stars caused disease

What was a miasma?

Bad air people believed was filled with harmful fumes that could cause disease

Who created the theory of the 4 humours?

Hippocrates

Who developed the theory of the 4 humours?

Galen

What were the 4 humours?

Blood, phlegm, black bile & yellow bile

What did the theory of the 4 humours suggest caused disease?

Disease caused when the 4 humours became unbalanced

How did physicians diagnose disease?

Using work of Hippocrates & Galen, urine charts & star charts

How did people treat disease in medieval England?

Religious treatments, balancing the 4 humours & herbal remedies

What religious treatments did people use?

Healing prayers, fasting & pilgrimages

What treatments were used to balance the 4 humours?

Bleeding, purging digestive system & Galen’s theory of opposites

Give an example of how Galen’s theory of opposites was used to treat disease.

Hot peppers used to treat someone who had too much phlegm

What herbal remedies were used?

Theriaca & aloe vera

Who treated patients in medieval England?

Physicians, apothecaries & barber surgeons

What training did physicians have?

7-10 years training at university

What was the role of physicians?

To diagnose illness, suggest treatment & prescribe medicine

Why didn’t many people visit physicians?

They were very expensive

What was the role of apothecaries?

To mix herbal remedies

What training did apothecaries have?

They were not trained so got knowledge from books & their experiences

What was the role of barber surgeons?

They were good barbers who performed small surgeries e.g bleedings

What training did barber surgeons have?

None - they were the least qualified

How did people prevent disease in medieval England?

Repent for sins, keep humours balanced & ward off miasma

What new methods of prevention were there in this time period?

None

How did people ensure sins were forgiven by God?

Regularly pray, confess sins & donate money to Church

How did people ensure their humours were balanced?

Monitoring diet & purging digestive system

How did people ward off miasma?

Regularly bathing, carrying flowers & sweeping homes

How did local authorities ward off miasma?

Ensure towns were kept clean

Who ran hospitals in medieval England?

The Church as they owned 30% of hospitals

How many hospitals were there?

By 1500, there were 1100 hospitals

What was the purpose of hospitals in looking after the sick?

To care for elderly & sick, not cure diseases

Who cared for the sick in medieval hospitals?

Nuns carried out routine nursing & priests said prayers for sick

Who did hospitals reject?

Patients with infectious diseases

Who provided care in the home?

Usually a female family member

What care was provided in the home?

Keeping the patient clean, well fed & mixing herbal remedies