Medieval Medicine Flashcards
Who could you go to for treatment in the Medieval Era?
Local Wise Women
Barber Surgeon
University Trained Doctor
Monastery
What treatments were available in the Medieval Era?
Bloodletting Trepanning Purging/Vomiting Amputation Cauterisation
What were the 4 Humours?
Blood
Yellow Bile
Black Bile
Phlegm
How is Blood Restored within the Four Humours?
Too Much: Bloodletting
Not Enough: Drinking Red Wine
How is Yellow Bile Restored within the Four Humours?
Too Much: Made to Vomit
Not Enough: Eat Cheese
How is Black Bile Restored within the Four Humours?
Too Much: Given Laxatives
Not Enough: Eating More Vegetables
How is Phlegm Restored within the Four Humours?
Too Much: Breathe in Steam
Not Enough: Eat Fleshy Vegetables
How is a Medieval Doctor Trained?
7 Years at University
Listening to Lectures
Learned works of Galen and Hippocrates
Barber Surgeons
Performed small operations like Trepanning
Wise Women
Used Natural Herbal Remedies, First Aid and Supernatural Cures
Knowledge passed down by word of mouth
Bloodletting
Blood is removed from the body by opening a vein or using leeches
Trepanning
Drilling into the skull
Used to treat Epilepsy and let the demons out
Amputation
Chopping off part of a body
Cauterisation
Burning a wound to stop blood flow
Natural Causes Of Disease
Clinical Observation
4 Humours
Supernatural Causes Of Disease
Position of the Stars
Demons
What were the Churches beliefs about illness?
Jesus healed the sick so Christians should look after the sick
G-D sent an illness as a punishment
Curing an illness would challenge G-D’s will
Hippocratic and Galenic ideas were correct
Miraculous healing-encouraged to visit shrines and pray
Hospitals run by the Church
1000-1050, over 700 hospitals were built Places of rest Had Priests instead of Doctors Run by Monks/Nuns Had Clean Water Kitchens were built away from privies to avoid contamination
Who funded the Hospitals?
The Church
Wealthy Patrons
Charity
Name 2 Types of Hospitals
Mental Hospitals for the mentally ill
Lazar Houses for those with Leprosy
How did Christianity Help Medical Progress?
Taught people it was a religious duty to care for the sick
Church built many hospitals of different types
Funded Universities
How did Christianity Hinder Medical Progress?
Didn’t allow dissection
Weren’t allowed to question Galen who was wrong
Couldn’t discover new ideas and could only learn old ones
Didn’t try to treat the patient only care for them
Explain the influence of Galen on training and treatment?
Dissected Animals to improve knowledge of human anatomy
Believed in Design Theory (God designed humans)
Church banned people from questioning his work Worked in Gladiator School
Used Four Humours and stressed importance of listening to a patient’s pulse
Explain the influence of Hippocrates on diagnosis and treatment
Emphasised the importance of clinical observation
Theory of the Four Humours and the need to balance them dominated medical thinking up to 1800
What was the influence of Islam on Medieval Medicine?
786-809: Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Baghdad was where Greek manuscripts were translated into Arabic
805: Al-Rashid set up Major Hospital in Baghdad with a Medical School and Library
813-833: Caliph al-Mamum developed al-Rashid’s library into “House of Wisdom”- World’s largest Library and Study Centre
Preserved 100’s of Greek books
What were Islamic ideas about Medicine?
First Hospitals were for the Mentally ill who were treated with compassion
Encouraged Medical learning and Discoveries
Scientists encouraged to discover Cures and New Drugs
What were Bimaristians?
Built in many Islamic cities to provide medical TREATMENT for Everyone
Doctors were Permanently present
Medical Students Trained alongside them
How did Islamic Medical Knowledge Spread?
Medical discoveries and knowledge arrived in Italy in 1065 through Latin translations of Merchant Constantine the African
12th Century- Fist Latin translation of Avicenna’s book: Canon of Medicine
Universities of Padua and Bologna in Italy became the best places to study Medicine in Europe
Reached England through trade as merchants bought new equipment drugs and books
Al-Razi/Rhazes
Distinguished measles from smallpox for the first time
Stressed the need for careful observation
Wrote over 150 books
Followed Galen but believed all students should improve on the work of their teacher
Wrote a book called “Doubts About Galen”
Ibn Sina/ Avicenna
Wrote an encyclopaedia of ancient medicine called Canon of Medicine
Canon of Medicine
Written by Avicenna
Properties of 760 Drugs like Camphor
Standard European Textbook until 17th Century
Discusses Anorexia and Obesity
What were the Limitations of Medieval Surgery?
Operated without effective Painkillers
No idea that dirt carried Disease
Couldn’t help Patients with Deep Wounds
Thought Pus in a wound was good
Abulcasis
30 Volume Book in 1000 called Al Tasrif
26 New surgical Instruments
Made Cauterisation popular
Invented many new procedures like Ligatures
Hugh of Lucca and his Son Theodoric
1267, Criticised that Pus was needed for wounds to heal
Famous Surgeons at Bologna University
Used Wine on wounds to reduce chance of infection
New methods of removing Arrows
Went against Hippocrates so wasn’t popular
Mondino de Luzzi
Led interest in Anatomy in 14th Century
1315- Supervised Public Dissection in Bologna but the body didn’t fit Galen’s Description so was thought to be wrong
1316- Wrote “Anathomia” which became the Standard Dissection Manual for over 200 years
Guy De Chauliac
1363- Wrote the “Great Surgery”
Quoted Galen 890 Times
Many References to Islamic and Greek Writers like Avicenna
Opposed Theodoric’s ideas about infection
John of Ardene
Most Famous Medieval Surgeon
Set up the Guild of Surgeons in 1368 used to seperate Surgeons from Barber Surgeons
1376- “Practicia” bases on 100 Years war and Greek/Arab Knowledge
Specialised in Operations for Anal Abscess common in knights
Used Opium and Henbane to dull Pain
Roger Frugardi
1180- “Practice of Surgery”
Warned against Trepanning
Attempted to remove Bladder Stones
Pubic Health Definition
Health and Wellbeing of the Population as a whole
Medieval Public Health: Water
Hygienic: Towns took water from Local Springs, Wells or Rivers
Pipes made from wood or lead
Unhygienic: Sewage and other Waste dumped in rivers are the Population grew
Medieval Public Health: Sewage
Hygienic: Towns are Private Houses had Privies (Outside Toilets) with cesspits to collect the Sewage
Unhygienic: Cesspits dug out regularly by Gong Farmers. Towns Dirty with barely any Paved Streets so Cesspits would overflow onto Roads and Rivers
Medieval Public Health: Rubbish
Hygienic: Town Councils passed Laws encouraging people to keep streets in front of their houses clean
Unhygienic: Streets stank and were littered with toilet waste and household rubbish in poorer areas
Medieval Public Health: Tradesmen’s waste
Hygienic: Town Councils encouraged Tradesmen to keep to certain areas and keep them clean
Unhygienic: Leather tanning used dangerous chemicals
Meat Butchers dumped waste guts and guts onto streets and into rivers
Why couldn’t Medieval towns be kept clean?
Population growth
Rivers used for drinking water, transport and removing waste
People had no knowledge of germs
Thought disease was spread by bad air so removed bad smells
