chapter 1: medieval - middle ages Flashcards
hippocrates, galen, causes & treatments of illness, influence of the church, islamic medicine, surgery, public health, monasteries, the black death
what theory did hippocrates come up with?
theory of the four humours
what was the theory of the four humours?
the theory that the body consisted of four humours (blood, black & yellow bile, phlegm) and that they had to be balances for good health
how far did the theory of the four humours influence medicine?
- influenced medicine until the 1800s
- led to the treatment method of bleeding (opening a vein or applying leeches to draw blood to balance the humours)
- his books were also significant as they provided the first detailed accounts of symptoms and treatments
what theory did galen come up with?
the theory of opposites
what was the the theory of opposites?
the theory that illness could be treated by balancing the humours e.g. if u had a cold, you should eat hot/spicy foods
what did galen do to learn about human anatomy and what mistake did he make?
- he dissected animals
- he said the jaw bone was two separate bones, however it is actually one
why were galen’s mistakes accepted by the church?
galen also stated that the human body was perfect which supported the theory that god designed humans
what were the believed causes of illnesses at that time?
- god’s punishment
- four humours
- astrology
why were the true causes of illness unknown?
doctors lacked the scientific knowledge required to understand causes of disease
what medical training did doctors receive at the time?
they were told to read church approved texts such as galen or just trust that it was god’s plan
what supernatural treatments were used at the time?
- trusting god
- prayer
- astrology
- trepanning (hole in the skull to release demons)
what natural treatments were used at the time?
- bloodletting
- purging
- herbal remedies
what is an example of people trusting the four humours to “treat themselves”?
if someone had a nosebleed, it was believed they had too much blood and needed to get rid of some
what did the church control in medicine?
how doctors trained and how people received or gave treatment
in what ways did the church help medicine?
- opened medical schools where doctors trained
- one of the only sources of help for the sick
in what ways did the church hinder medicine?
- limited the ability of doctors to challenge ideas of ancient doctors so no new developments could be made
- treatments were based on the belief of god
- dissection was banned so doctors couldn’t learn practically
was islamic medicine more or less advanced than british medicine?
more advanced
what did the islam faith encourage?
encouraged muslim doctors to develop new ideas and treatments
what was the main thing al-razi did?
discovered the difference between smallpox and measles
how many books did al-razi write and what were they used for?
over 200, they were used to teach in universities in europe
what did al-razi emphasise the importance of?
observation & seeking natural causes
what was the main thing ibn sina did?
discovered anorexia and obesity
what was the book that ibn sina wrote called?
‘the canon of medicine’
what was the canon of medicine about?
explored ideas of anatomy & human development and encouraged natural treatments
what was ‘the canon of medicine’ used for?
to train new doctors
what did abucasis do?
simple surgeries
what is an example of a simple surgery in medieval times?
removal of warts, cysts or moles
what was trepanning?
holes were drilled into a persons head to get rid of demons or evil spirits
was trepanning effective?
no, most people died
what was cauterisation?
when hot metal was pressed onto a wound to stop bleeding
what were the risks of cauterisation?
severe burns, infection
when was amputation used?
as a very last resort
were anaesthetics effective in medieval times?
no, they were very poor
what was often used as an anaesthetic?
herbal remedies/mixtures
what method was often used instead of anaesthetics in surgeries?
the patient would be held down by the doctors
what did barber surgeons do?
-cut hair
- removed teeth, warts, moles, cysts
- amputations
- bloodletting
what were the conditions of towns in medieval times?
very poor
why were the conditions of towns poor?
streets were covered in filth and dirt such as rotting meat from butchers, animal & human waste
what did people throw out their windows onto the streets and what did it attract?
- waste from their toilets
- rats and other animals
what did streets lack that didn’t help the condition of towns?
proper sewage systems & clean water
what did the government do in an attempt to improve town conditions?
- introduced fines for dumping
- banned butchers from slaughtering animals in the street
what new jobs were created in an attempt to improve town conditions?
gongfermers, muckrakers, surveyors of the pavement
all of these jobs did similar things: cleaned the streets, dug sewage etc.
why were monks more informed about public health?
they could read
what did monks design as a priority in monasteries ?
fresh water supplies however their efforts were limited as the link between germs and illness was unknown
what were some key features of monasteries?
- bathing was compulsory
- kitchens were separate to toilets
- used settling tanks to purify water
when was the black death?
1348-49
what was the black death?
a bubonic plague pandemic
what were symptoms of a bubonic plague?
buboes in the armpit, neck and groin
how was a bubonic plague spread?
by rats (fleas on their fur jumped onto humans)
what did people believe caused the black death?
- miasma (the theory that bad air spread disease)
- imbalance in the four humours
- witchcraft
- punishment from god
what did people believe would cure them or protect them from the black death?
- flagellants (whipping themselves)
- praying for themselves or others
- bloodletting
- they carried herbs or flower petals to prevent miasma
- herbal remedies
what were the consequences of the black death?
- half the population of europe died
- no greater understanding was gained from this so when the plague broke out again, similar ideas were used to prevent illness
