Medieval Medicine Flashcards
what did Ibn Sina encourage doctors to do and people to have
to observe and experiment
for people to have access to clean air and water
who wrote the Cannon of Medicine
what was it about
Ibn Sina
main medical textbook for doctors all over Europe until the 17th century
described over 700 medicines and their uses as well as how to diagnose disease
how many physicians were there in England in the 1300s
less than 100
how many hospitals was there in the east by the 1100s
one in every large town, but many had more
how were Islamic hospitals different from the west
lot more of them, often paid for by wealthy individuals to stay in keeping with their faith
treated the sick with herbal remedies and also prayer
also places of learning, often with attached pharmacies, libraries and lecture rooms and trainee doctors learning at people’s bedsides
how did Christianity hinder medical advancements
lots of control and taught disease was a punishment from God, no need to look for other treatments
did not allow dissections or for doctors to undergo their own experiments
controlled universities - only taught work of galen
how did Christianity progress medicine
monks in monasteries protected medical knowledge accumulated by the greeks by making copies of ancient books by hand
500 small hospitals (around 10 beds) by 1400
what were the medieval barber surgeons 3 main problems
what other problems did they have
bleeding - patients sometimes bled to death
pain - opium and hemlock used and made patients drowsy but could sometimes send them to sleep permanently
infection - wine, honey and vinegar could be used to clean the wound but they couldn’t stop an infection through unsterilised everything spreading
+ they also struggled due to a lack of anatomical understanding
who challenged Galen’s idea about pus being a sign of healing in a wound
father and son, Hugh and Theodoric of Lucca who were Italian surgeons
discovered through observations on the battlefield
encouraged use of bandages soaked in wine as a form of antiseptic
son, Theodoric, published a book in 1267
lacked popularity as it challenged the work of Galen
what were 3 public health problems in medieval towns
no access to clean water - people collected drinking water from rivers where they also dumped their waste and sewage and wells were often built next to cesspits
waste on the roads - people threw their rubbish out of the window, large piles accumulated and attracted rats
when hot, the Thames stank - people believed miasma spread disease
why was it difficult to keep medieval towns clean
overcrowding - more and more people moved to cities for work
rivers - used for drinking water and disposing of waste
germ theory not invented yet - people not interested in paying to clean up the towns and cities
