Medicine Flashcards
The Ancient World
3000BC - 500AD
What were magical beliefs
magical beliefs were dominant. Although Greeks developed the first places for the sick to go and rest to get better, these were more temples than hospitals. They though Gods would visit them and heal them in the night and saw the God’s as more important than the baths.
What were Rational beliefs
The Ancient Greeks developed the idea of the Four Humours in the middle of the Greek period. This was a method of explaining why people get sick.
What were hippocrates?
physician (doctor) he promoted the importance of closely observing a patient and making detailed notes of their conditions
Who was Galen?
A Roman surgeon and Roman doctor. He developed the theory of the four humours to promote a rational treatment called the the Theory of Opposites.
Medeval Britian
1250 - 1500
What were the supernatural ideas?
The Church advised that disease was ultimately God’s will; a punishment for sins committed by people on earth. There was also widespread superstition and people used astrology and the presence as comets in the sky as explanations of disease.
What were the Rational ideas?
Widespread belief in the Theory of the Four Humours, rational cures such as “purging” or “vomiting” were linked to continued belief in the Four Humours.
Examples of Supernatural thinking
- Disease was sent from God to punish the sins of mankind.
- Not keeping clean (both yourself and your home) would anger God and make you more likely to be cursed with illness.
Examples of Rational thinking
- Examples of Rational thinking
- Urine - Doctors would use urine charts to check the smell, taste and colour of urine to try to identify illness.
