Medieval Medicine 1250-1500 Flashcards
Britain’s first hospital, St Bartholemews was set up in London
1123
Average life expectancy was 35 years of age
1350
The Black Death affects England; killing 1/3 of the population
1348
Parliament passes the first law requiring streets and rivers to be kept clean by people
1388
A belief not based on knowledge, but in the supernatural like God, witchcraft or astrology
Superstition
To rid the body of an ‘excess’ like blood or vomit
Purging
The use of leeches for bloodletting
Leeching
Using glass cups to draw blood to the surface
Cupping
To avoid eating or drinking
Fasting
A journey to a religious shrine and relics to show your love for God and cure illness
Pilgrimage
Public worship in the Roman Catholic Church
Mass
Study of the planets and its affect on humans
Astrology
‘Bad air’ which was blamed for spreading disease
Miasma
A medieval pharmacists or chemist
Apothecary
A female healer who treated illnesses. They used herbal remedies
Wise woman
A medieval ‘medical’ book carried by doctors
Vademecum
Used to examine urine to define illness
Urine chart
A male medically trained doctor
Physician
Untrained surgeon that practised basic surgery
Barber surgeon
To cut open a human and examine the insides
Dissection
A widespread outbreak of disease
Epidemic
A charm that brought ‘protection’ from disease
Amulet
A term used to describe the bubonic plague
Black Death
A building where monks live, eat and pray
Monastery
