medicine in medieval england

Question 1

What did the Church believe disease was ??

Answer 1

A punishment from God

Question 2

What did the outlaw of dissection prevent doctors from doing??

Answer 2

The doctors could not discover about human anatomy themselves and could only learn Galen’s incorrect ideas.

Question 3

Which belief did Hippocrates’ and Galen’s ideas fit into??

Answer 3

Christian (Church) beliefs

Question 4

Hippocrates’ and Galen’s ideas were translated into which language by the Church??

Answer 4

Latin

Question 5

What was the Four Humours Theory?

Answer 5

The rational theory that in the human body there are 4 different fluids needed to be in balance to have good health.

Question 6

How were evil spirts treated??

Answer 6

Exorcisms and chants

Question 7

What was the Miasma theory??

Answer 7

The rational theory that ‘bad air’ causes disease when breathed in.

Question 8

What happened to witches in Medieval times??

Answer 8

They were tried and executed

Question 9

What are the 4 fluids according to the FH theory??

Answer 9

Phlegm, Yellow Bile, Brown Bile and Blood

Question 10

Where did ‘miasma’ come from?

Answer 10

Human refuse, abattoirs or dead bodies.

Question 11

Name 3 Medieval ways of treating disease.

Answer 11

Prayer/ Repentance, Purging and Bloodletting

Question 12

How was ‘miasma’ treated??

Answer 12

By purifying the air with incense and smoke.

Question 13

What theory was Purging and Bloodletting based on?

Answer 13

The Theory of Four Humours

Question 14

Name 4 healers the public could visit in Medieval times.

Answer 14

Barber surgeons, Physicians, Apothecaries and Public hospitals

Question 15

Pros and Cons of Physicians :

Answer 15

Pros - University trained doctors
Cons - Very little practical experience

Question 16

Pros and Cons of Barber surgeons:

Answer 16

Pros: Only attempted rare and minor procedures
Cons: Still extremely dangerous as there was no cure for blood loss, infection and pain.

Question 17

Pros and Cons of Public hospitals:

Answer 17

Pros - Very popular and well liked
Cons - Not affordable, didn’t focus on treating disease

Question 18

Pros and Cons of Apothecaries

Answer 18

Pros - Affordable
Cons - Remedies were unsuccessful in the long term

Question 19

What did the people in Winchester do to prevent the spread of the Black Death??

Answer 19

They instigated new cemeteries were to be built, outside of town and away from houses.

Question 20

What did the town of Gloucester do after hearing about the Black Death being local to them??

Answer 20

Shut itself off from the outside world

Question 21

When did the Black Death reach London?

Answer 21

By November 1348

Question 22

Which King decided to close parliament due to the spread of the Black Death??

Answer 22

King Edward 111

Question 23

When was the College of Physicians set up?

Answer 23

1518

Question 24

Which recent medical development helped people actually understand and see how the body worked??

Answer 24

Dissections

Question 25

Why did the College encourage doctors to be licensed ??

Answer 25

To stop the influence of Quacks- people who sold fake medicines

Question 26

What did new explorations help Britain to discover?

Answer 26

New ingredients for medical drugs

Question 27

Give an example of a newly found drug

Answer 27

Quinine was found in the bark of the Cichona tree and was used to cure Malaria.

Question 28

Vesalius produced a realistic description of the human body and encouraged __________.

Answer 28

Dissection

Question 29

Thomas Sydenham’s work on __________ _____________ helped make diagnosis a more important part of Doctor’s work.

Answer 29

Classifying diseases

Question 30

What did William Harvey discover??

Answer 30

The circulation of Blood

Question 31

Why did Harvey’s discovery of circulation have a limited impact?

Answer 31

Not everyone believed Harvey’s theories and so it took a long time for doctors to use them in their treatments.

Question 32

What did the Printing press do?

Answer 32

Allowed new ideas within medicine to be shared/ spread worldwide.

Question 33

Why did having easily copied books worldwide encourage criticism??

Answer 33

With more books being easily printed, Galen’s and other existing ideas could be debated and questioned by many.

Question 34

What did the Royal society do to new technology and ideas??

Answer 34

It gave them a platform and higher status, and therefore more trust from the public.

Question 35

Give 2 examples of Continuity between Medieval and Renaissance treatments.

Answer 35

1. Reluctancy towards new ideas meant bloodletting and purging are still used by some doctors
2. Hospital care was still fairly basic and many were very focused on moral or spiritual education.

Question 36

Give 4 methods used to treat the Great Plague of 1665.

Answer 36

Remedies, Bloodletting, Purifying the air and Fasting.

Question 37

What methods were used to prevent the spread of the 1665 Great Plague??

Answer 37

Closing down of crowded areas, human constant prevented, quarantine of plague victims and dogs and cats killed.