Medieval Britain Flashcards
c1250 - 1500
Time period of the Medieval Britain
c.1250-1500
Who were two significant individuals from the Ancient World?
Hippocrates and Galen
What was the Four Humours Theory based on?
The theory of the Four Humours was based on the idea of everything in the world being made of four. Four seasons / Four “elements” / Four Humours.
What was the Theory of Opposites?
- Galen developed the theory that you could balance out Humours by giving someone the opposite to their symptoms. - E.g if someone had a cold- involving cold and wet phlegm- he would offer them advice to eat a hot pepper- hot and dry.
What was the other rational medical belief?
Miasma/miasmata- the belief that bad smelling air had the ability to make a person sick.
Religious beliefs about the causes of disease in Medieval times
- Disease was sent from God to punish the sins of mankind.
- The belief that God and Satan are in a constant battle and when Satan begins to win, people get sick.
- Not keeping clean (both yourself and your home) would anger God —> make you more likely to be cursed with illness.
Rational beliefs about the causes of disease in Medieval times
- Miasma- Belief that the air was filled with harmful fumes.
- Contagion- People had hunches that diseases like leprosy, although “sent from God”, could be caught.
- Four Humours- imbalance in the humours would lead to mental and physical illness.
Supernatural beliefs about the causes of disease in Medieval times
- Astrology- people used astrology and the presence as comets in the sky as explanations of disease.
Why was the Church so powerful in Medieval times in terms of both religious and non-religious matters?
- Only Church at the start of the Middle Ages.
- Lack of scientific knowledge- people looked to the Church for explanations
- Fear of God
- They limited any new ideas, keeping the Church’s strength high
Were supernatural/religious beliefs in the causes of disease more influential than rational ones?
Yes- Church had final say.
Why did the Church allow the theories of Galen (and by extension Hippocrates)?
- Galen often wrote about a ‘creator’; this fitted with Christian belief in God
- Galen believed in the idea of the soul; again, this fitted with Christian beliefs
Methods of prevention in Medieval Britain
- Regimen Sanitatis
- pray first and then bathe
- Stay clean to avoid God’s wrath
- Paying for a special mass
Methods of treatment in Medieval Britain
- Self-flagellation
- Being touched by the hands of the King - who was believed to be God’s representative on Earth
- 4 Humors treatments- to rebalance the humours
- Herbal remedies
- Supernatural non-religious treatments
Examples of humoural (4 humors theory) treatments in Medieval Britain
- Blood-letting (now known as phlebotomy) - normally done by Barber Surgeons + wise women.
- Purging- encouragement of vomiting or diarrhea
Three methods of bloodletting
- Cutting a vein
- Using leeches
- Cupping
How did people ‘purge’?
Used emetics or a laxative to encourage vomiting or diarrhea.
What book was published about herbal remedies?
Materia Medica, which detailed 600 plants, trees and minerals.
Why was flagellation seen as a prevention?
By showing repentance for your sins, there was no reason for God to punish you with illness.
Methods of diagnosis
- Urine charts
- Astrology charts
How educated were physicians and what did they do?
Physicians- university trained + v.expensive. They would diagnose a patient’s illness rather than treat it.
How educated were apothecaries and what did they do?
- Mix herbal remedies.
- Good knowledge of herbs due to training + good knowledge of Materia Medica
Were apothecaries considered to be as skilled as physicians?
No- however, they were cheaper, so lots of people would visit the apothecary as a cheap alternative to a physician.
How many hospitals were there in England by 1500?
Around 1,100
How many hospitals were owned and operated by the Church and who provided hospital care?
- 30%; many hospitals were in Monasteries
- Hospital care was provided by Monks and Nuns, who were also responsible for developing some of earliest hospitals in England. - E.g. St. Barts was originally set up by the Church in the 1100s
Were hospitals good places to go for treatment?
Hospitals were good places to rest and you would often receive a good diet and a clean environment.
Quality of hospital care
- Patients shared beds
- Insane and pregnant people often rejected
- Spiritual care taken care of by Priests and monks
- Church wanted hospitals to be proof of healing power of prayer; terminal patients were refused help.
- Physicians + Barber surgeons not employed by English hospitals; treatment was limited
Did people prefer to be treated at home or at the hospital?
Majority of care was done in the home due to distrust of physicians.
Examples of care in the home
- Women expected to care for sick + grow plants known for their healing abilities.
- Some records suggest women in the home carried out bleedings + minor surgery.
Who mainly carried out surgeries?
Barber Surgeons, performed surgeries for a low cost.
What were skilled surgeons capable of?
Skilled surgeons would be able to successfully remove cataracts, set a broken bone or remove an arrow from the eye.
Exact examples of surgery attempted by Barber Surgeons
- Pulling teeth
- Performing enemas
- Treatments connected to phlebotomy such as cupping, blood-letting and applying leeches.
Were surgeries often successful?
- When more sophisticated operations were attempted by Barber surgeons, such as amputations, it would often lead to death through massive blood loss.
- Surgery was, for many, a fate worse than death.
Government attitude towards public health at the start of the Middle Ages
Public Health was not a priority for the government; local government had little power.
What did people do to try to improve public health?
People largely took matters into their own hands such as by building latrines on side of their houses which would deposit excrement directly onto the street.
What issue was caused by ordinary people trying to improve public health?
Excrement would clog up streets due to sewer systems clogging up and not functioning.
What were factors that influenced changes in public health in the Medieval Britain?
- Growing unhappiness of general population
- Arrival of the Black Death in Europe in 1347
Why did change happen so slowly?
- Weak government
- Poor country
- Lack of education and scientific knowledge.
What laws did the government eventually put in place to improve public health?
1347- Fines for dropping litter in the street.
1348- Quarantine laws were put in place stop people moving around too much because of the Black Death.
1348- Local authorities stopped cleaning the streets; they believed the foul stench of rubbish + rotting bodies would drive off the miasma that was causing the plague.
What did the implementation of these laws so late show?
Showed how much ignorance there was during the Middle Ages about what the government could do to help public health.
What was the Black Death?
An outbreak of bubonic plague caused by the bacteria yersinia pestis, but people at the time had no idea that this was the cause.
When was the Black Death and how many people were killed by it?
A third of the English population between 1348-50.
What was the main symptom of the Black Death?
Growing buboes (huge blisters), getting a swelling in the armpit or groin which was filled with pus. If you caught the plague, you’d most likely die within 5 days.
Was the Black Death the only outbreak of plague in medieval times?
No- There were outbreaks of Plague every 10-20 years during Medieval times, but this outbreak was particularly bad.
Beliefs about the causes of the Black Death 1348-1350
- God had deserted mankind because of our sinfulness.
- An unusual positioning of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn during 1345.
- Impure air - miasma - that corrupted the body’s humours.
- The Jewish population and other ‘outsiders’
Beliefs about how the Black Death 1348-1350 could be prevented
- Pray to God and fast (go without food).
- Show God you were sorry by self-flagellation (whipping yourself).
- Escape- run far away and to fresh air.
- Avoid family members with the illness.
Beliefs about how the Black Death 1348-1350 could treated
- No treatment - it was God’s will, you just had to suffer.
- Bleeding and purging was attempted but it just made people worse.
- Lighting a fire and boiling vinegar to purify the air.
- Trying a mix of herbs and herbal remedies like myrrh and therica.
What type of herbs did people use for purging?
Strong + bitter herbs were used like aniseed or parsley. Sometimes, herbs contained poisons like black hellebore.
