11.1.2.2 Health and Medical Care

Question 1

Outline general facts about hospitals and their approach to hospital care in the medieval period. (3)

Answer 1

• Run by the Church or funded by endowment.
• Offered hospitality (e.g. hygiene, prayer, rest, food) rather than treatment.
• Often rejected infectious or terminal patients, as they focussed on hospitality, not treatment.

Question 2

Outline general facts about physicians and their approach of treatment and care in the medieval period. (4)

Answer 2

• Most expensive - due to being university educated, trained by the Church, and few in numbers.
• Training involved book learning (e.g. the Articella).
• Diagnosed [the rich, at a distance] using star and urine charts, and referring to the humours.
• Recommended remedies to individual symptoms rather than treating.

Question 3

Outline general facts about apothecaries and their approach of treatment and care in the medieval period. (4)

Answer 3

• Affordably cheap.
• Training involved herbal manuals (e.g. Materia Medica).
• Patients sent to them by, and were common alternatives to, physicians.
• Mixed remedies with wide range of herbal cures and recipes.

Question 4

Outline general facts about barber surgeons and their approach of treatment and care in the medieval period. (4)

Answer 4

• Cheapest (barber) - due to lack of training
• Performed basic surgery (barber), e.g. tooth pulling.
• Expensive (skilled) - due to being highly trained
• Performed complex surgery (skilled), e.g. set limbs.