Medieval Medicine Flashcards
What treatments would trained doctors do?
Treated patients using Hippocratic and Galenic methods
What natural treatments did medieval doctors use?
Clinical observation- checking pulse and urine
four humours
Why were trained doctors not accessible for the average person?
Only in large towns
Expensive
Weren’t many around
What treatments would herbalists do?
Herbal treatments, prayer and rest
Name 4 people that would treat sick people in Medieval England
Barber surgeons
Wise women
Herbalists
Trained doctors
What theory did medieval doctors base their natual cures on?
The 4 humours
Medieval medicine showed a belief in what two causes of disease?
Supernatural and natural
What treatments would wise women do?
First aid, herbal remedies, supernatural cures
What treatments would barber surgeons do?
Bloodletting, minor surgeries
Why did the church approve of Galen and back his ideas for so long?
Although he lived in Roman times, Galen believed in 1 God, which fitted with Christian ideas
What supernatural treatments would doctors use?
Position of the stars
Recommended charms and prayers
What were the 4 humours?
Blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm
How was it believed the 4 humours made a person ill?
If they became out of balance, a person would become ill so it was the doctor’s job to restore the balance
Why did the Church believe it was good to look after the sick?
They believed in following the example of Jesus who healed the sick
Why did the Church not believe in curing illness?
They believed that God sent illness as a punishment or a test of faith so to cure it would be challenging His will
In the eyes of the Church, what was the most important treatment?
Prayer and pilgrimage
How many hospitals were set up in England between 1000 and 1500?
over 700
How were hospitals funded?
By the Church or by a wealthy patron
What was the main focus of Medieval hospitals in England?
Caring for the sick and not curing
What did Roger Bacon do?
He was arrested by the Church for suggesting doctors should do original research and not trust old books
What idea (other than the four humours) did Hippocrates develop?
clinical observation of the patient, rather than just the illness
Name 3 ideas Hippocrates developed?
4 humours, clinical observation, and the Hippocratic Oath
What was the Hippocratic Corpus?
A written collection of Hippocrates’ work which allowed doctors in other countries to learn from his knowledge
What theory did Galen develop and how did it effect treatments?
The theory of opposites, which concerned how people should be treated using the 4 humours
What was Galen’s work on anatomy based on?
Dissecting animals such as pigs and monkeys
Name one thing Galen correctly found out through his dissections?
The brain controlled speech
Name one thing Galen correctly found out through his dissections
The brain controlled speech
Name 2 mistakes Galen made
He believed that blood passed from one side of the heart to the other through tiny holes in the septum. Also said that the human jaw bone is two separate bones, when it is actually one
Name 4 supernatural treatments used in medieval England
prayer, pilgrimage, astrology, trepanning
Name 3 natural treatments used in Medieval times
bloodletting, purging, herbal remedies
When doctors gave treatments, what were they attempting to support?
What the body did itself. For example, if somebody had a nosebleed it was seen as the body’s way of getting rid of excess blood. Therefore the doctor would help the body by bloodletting
How long did ideas and treatments based on the 4 humours last until?
Until the 19th century when germ theory was developed by Louis Pasteur in 1861
Who controlled teachings of doctors in universities and what was the impact of this?
The Church. This meant Galen’s ideas continued to be followed and believed
What evidence is there that the Church helped medical progress in Medieval England?
The Church was the only source of help for many sick people, because the care provided by monasteries was free.
Monks copied out the ideas of Galen and Hippocrates, which allowed their work to be preserved and allowed them to later be challenged
What evidence is there that the Church hindered medical progress?
The Church limited doctors ability to challenged or question the ideas of ancient doctors.
Many treatments were based on the idea that God caused illness and so prayer could cure any illness
