Medicine stands still (mediaeval and middle ages) Flashcards
Hippocrates ideas (460 BC)
The theory of the four humours The Hippocratic Corpus The Hippocratic Oath Recording of symptoms 'Sickness is not sent by the Gods'
What was the theory of the four humours
As the universe was made up of 4 elements, so was the body
Blood
Phlegm
Black bile
Choler (yellow bile)
Philosophers believed that they had to be balanced for the patient to be healthy
What is the significance of Hippocrates
It removed the role of religion and the gods in individual illnesses
Encouraging people to move away from supernatural beliefs
What was the Hippocratic Corpus
He said medical records should be kept for future reference
He created the Hippocratic corpus which is a collection of over 60 books written by him and other Greek doctors noting symptoms treatments and their effectiveness
His main idea was to work out what was wrong with patients and to write down what he saw
What was the Hippocratic Oath
Doctors would swear to treat patients and keep their records and symptoms in confidence
Still in place today
Galen’s ideas (130AD)
Theory of opposites (eg if suffering a fever, cold treatment)
Promoted by the Christian Church, he believed different parts of human body fitted together perfectly. Fitted well with the ideas of the church who believed God created man in his image meaning it would be perfect
As libraries were maintained by the church they picked texts which were widely read, preached and believed. This meant that Galen’s work was the only authority on medicine for years
He encouraged dissection even though it was illegal and gained a lot of practical experience because he was a doctor to lots of gladiators
Significance of Hippocratic and Galenic medicine after c1000AD
Their ideas and beliefs were still being taught and used
Their teachings on medicine were significant
Very little progress of health and illness
They moved away from superstition
Some of Hippocrates’ teachings still used today
Galen opposite theory made people look for actual cures
Galen did dissections, changed viewpoint of human anatomy
What was it like to be ill in medieval times
Rich people more likely to get doctors and more likely to be treated and cured
Doctors were more likely found in towns
Rural places were more dangerous than towns
Deaths from famine and war were very common
People were malnourished which lead to disease
Childbirth was very dangerous
What did medieval people thought caused diseases (4)
Sent by God - God is punishing them - Lack of knowledge of germs, people were v religious
Miasma (bad air/smells) - Bad smells accompanied illness - Mortality rates in towns were high and they smelt bad
Supernatural - Evil is winning over God - Witchcraft was feared and people believed that demons caused diseases
4 humours - The 4 humans aren’t in balance - people realised when they are ill excess fluids are produced
Why was water supply a serious health problem
No public disposal for waste so lots of it ended up in the water supply, it contaminated and made it v unsafe to drink
Why was sewage a public health problem
No sewage system so it all ended up in water supply
Cesspits were very close to wells and could contaminate them
People drank diluted beer as it was safer
Why were animals a public health problem
Pigs roamed around eating scraps
Horses pooed on the streets and it wasn’t clean
Butchers slaughtered animals in the street
Why was rubbish a public health problem
Rubbish was thrown into rivers and on streets
It wasn’t cleared up
Cesspits were rarely cleaned
What people thought the Black Death was caused by (1348-49)
Astrology Miasma 4 humours being out of balance God being angry Jews
Symptoms of Pneumonic and Bubonic Black Death
P - Infected lungs which dissolved when people coughed
B - infected lymph nodes (pus infected buboes developed in armpits groin and neck)
2 natural approaches to disease
Apothecaries used herbs to make ‘medicines’
Burning herbs to create a sweet smell to get rid of miasma
3 supernatural approaches to disease
Praying to God - they believed disease was a punishment from God
Flagellation - to show God they were sorry for their sins
Astrology - people believed the stars and planets could be responsible for illness
5 methods of treatment
The vademecum diagnosis book
Leeches for balancing humour of blood
Posies and other highly smelling objects to ward off miasma
Herbs for mixing natural remedies
A zodiac chart to predict illnesses and suggest cures
How did the beginning of training help medial developments
New universities of physicians were set up, students would visit sick people as part of their training
At these schools doctors debated the best treatments and began to watch dissections to understand how they worked
What methods did doctors follow
Some followed Hippocrates’ methods and observed their patients to work out what was wrong with them
Doctors might try to work out what’s wrong by tasting urine or checking the pulses of the patient
Facts about hospitals in medieval Britain
Hospitals and patients were kept very clean
Most patients had to share a bed unless they were very close to death
Number of hospitals increased
About a third of hospitals were set up by the church and run by nuns and monks
The emphasis on hospitals was on care rather than cure
The church wanted to show people that charity could help cure disease and earn you a place in heaven
Hospital Bedlam in London
Bedlam in London is one of the oldest mental health hospitals in the world
It was founded by the Church in 1247 to look after homeless people but then began to focus on people who were considered ‘mad’
Negatives of Christianity and medicine
People were encouraged to rely on prayers to cure them so therefore doctors didn’t make the effort to investigate new ideas about the causes of disease or new treatments
Dissection was illegal so many wrong ideas about human anatomy (liver middle of body)
Church insisted people followed Galen without question
Emphasis on care not cure
Religious war eg Crusades cost lots of money which could have gone to public health
Positives of Christianity and medicine
Church set up and ran most hospitals
Encouraging people to go on religious war eg the Crusades to middle east put them in touch with Muslim doctors and their ideas who were much more skilled and knowledgeable
