Medicine through Time: Medieval Flashcards
What were beliefs on the cause of disease based on? (2)
Supernatural, religious and rational cause
What were their religious beliefs on the cause of disease? (2)
Test of faith and punishment for sin
How did their religious beliefs on the cause of disease impact the society?
Many did not seek other rational explanations due to the fear of hell and the control of the church.
What were their supernatural beliefs on the cause of disease? (2)
Alignment of planets and stars, comet sightings, and star signs.
How major was the control of the church at this time?
Very major (powerful)
What were the disadvantages of the church’s control?
● Learning: controlled what was taught in universities.
● Dissections: banned
● Books: hand-written by monks and controlled the libraries
● Galen: promoted his ideas because it agreed to their ideas
What were the advantages of the church’s control?
Jesus: follow his example e.g. help the sick
What were their rational beliefs on the cause of disease?
Theory of the four humours
What did Hippocrates believe and do? (4)
● Doctors had to swear by the Hippocratic oath - no harm
● Developed the idea of clinical observation of the patient, rather than just of the illness
● Encouraged doctors to seek natural causes and cures of illness
● Wrote a large collection of books which allowed doctors everywhere to learn from his knowledge (Translated)
What was the theory of the four humours? How was this used to relate to disease?
The idea that the human body was made up of four substances: blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile; if there was an imbalance in the humours, you got sick. They were also “linked” to seasons.
What did Galen believe and do? (5)
● The body must have been designed because of its perfection.
● Wrote many books containing detailed diagrams of anatomy (Translated)
● Many dissections which led to many conclusions e.g. brain controlled speech not the heart.
● Supported clinical observation and encouraged doctors to take a urine sample to dictate the issue.
● Believed in miasma and urine charts for diagnosis.
What was the theory of opposites? How was this used to relate to disease?
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