Medicine stands still - treating disease Flashcards
What were thought to be major treatments at the time?
Prayer and repentance
What was the disease believed to be caused by?
A punishment from God
What were the sick encouraged to do?
Pray
What else did medieval people think were cures to disease?
Pilgrimages to holy shrines
Why did Flagellants whip themselves?
To show God they were sorry for their past actions.
When were flagellents popular?
During epidemics such as the black death
What else was thought to be a cause for disease?
Astrology
What was bloodletting?
Medieval doctors believed if someone apparently had to much blood in them they had to use a small cut to release the excess
What is purging?
Purging is the act of getting rid of other fluids from the body by excreting.
What did purging and bloodletting aim to do?
To balance the four humours
What else was thought to prevent disease?
Purifiying the air because of miasma theory
What was the miasma theory?
The belief that bad air causes disease
what did physicians do when visiting patients?
They carried possies and oranges to protect themselves from the miasma theory the believed in
During the black death what was burned in rooms to stop bad air?
Juniper, myrrh and incense
What were remedies?
Early natural medicines
Where were remedies bought from?
From an apothecary or made at home
What did remedies contain?
Herbs , spices, animal parts and minerals
What were books that contained remedie recipes called?
Herbals
Was bloodletting helpful?
No, it caused more deaths
What are physicians?
A male doctor who trained at a university for at least 7 years.
What did physicians read?
Ancient texts aswell as writings from the islamic world.
What was the most popular form of treatment in Britain?
Apocatharies
What were most hospitals in medieval medicine ran by?
The Church
What did hospitals at the time do?
Main purpose was to care for the sick and elderly not to actually help
Why were hospitals more hygienic than other places?
Because they developed water and sewage systems
What was wrong with medieval surgery?
It was very dangerous
What were medieval surgeons called?
Barber surgeons
What is a monastery?
Another place they kept ill people to care for them
Why was surgery really dangerous during the medieval times?
There was no way to prevent blood loss, infection or pain.
who was the hugh of lucca?
A surgeon who worked in italy in the early 13 century
What did the hugh of lucca begin doing?
He began dressing wounds in bandages covered in wine to get rid of bacteria
How did the hugh of lucca make this discovery?
By chance
Who did the hugh of lucca question?
Galen
