Medicine Stands Still-Disease and the Supernatural Flashcards
What was disease thought to be caused by?
Supernatural
Between what years was medieval England?
1000-1500
What was the key problem of disease in the medieval times?
Lack of understanding the causes of disease
What did many people believe disease was?
A punishment from god
Why did they think disease existed?
To show them the error of their ways and make them better people
Considering the reasoning behind the disease’s existence, what did they believe was the cure to the disease?
Prayer and repentance
What other supernatural being was thought to be the cause of disease?
Evil supernatural beings, like demons and witches.
Since it was believed that witches were behind many outbreaks of diseases, what happened to many people?
Tried as witches and executed.
Within the body, and a supernatural cause, what else could cause disease?
Evil spirits living inside someone
Since evil spirits living within the body were thought to be a natural cause, what was done?
Members of the church performed exorcism and using chants to rid of the spirits
What institution had a big influence on medieval medicine?
Church
What church was an extremely powerful organization in medieval Europe?
Roman Catholic church
The Church encouraged people to believe the disease was a punishment from God, instead of?
Natural causes
Since the church encouraged disease was a punishment from God, what was prevented?
Trying to find cures for diseases because they believed all you could do was pray and repent
Whose works did the Church make sure the scholars of medicine learnt?
Galen
Why did the church make sure the works of Galen were followed by scholars of medicine?
His ideas fit the christian belief that God created human bodies and made them to be perfect.
Also stopped people from disagreeing with Galen.
What did the Church outlaw?
Dissection
Since dissection was outlawed, what did this mean medieval doctors could not do?
Discover ideas about human anatomy for themselves
Since doctors couldn’t perform dissections, what did they have to do instead?
Learn Galen’s incorrect ideas
The church’s influence over medieval medicine meant that there was very little change in ideas about the cause of disease until what period?
The Renaissance
Why were people unable to question the church?
Their messages were so influential
What other cause was used to diagnose diseases? (HINT: stars)
Astrology
What is the idea behind astrology?
The movements of the planets and stars have an effect on the Earth and on people
What did astrologers in medieval England believe caused diseases?
The movements of planets and stars
In what type of medicine was astrology developed in?
Islamic medicine
Between what years was astrology brought to Europe?
1100 to 1300
What was the calendar called which some medieval doctors owned?
Almanac
what did the almanac include?
where particular planets and stars where at any given time
What did the doctors use the information from the almanac to do?
Predict how patients’ health could be affected
In astrology, what was thought to affect different parts of the body?
Different star signs
