Medieval Medicine Flashcards
Between which years was the Medieval period?
1250-1500
What was the most influential institution in the Medieval period?
The Church
What is a tithe?
A monthly sum of money given to church (10%)
Who controlled education during the Medieval period?
The Church
What was the most believed cause of disease in the Medical period?
God/Sin
What percentage of the population could read by 1500?
50%
What was the best cure for getting ill in the Medieval period?
Asking for forgiveness from God
If people rejected the idea of God causing disease, what did they blame it on?
Astrology or the supernatural
What supernatural representations were seen in the Medieval period?
Amulets, witches and wise women
What percentage of the population were peasants in the Medieval period?
90%
What does miasma mean?
Bad/corrupted air
Who discovered the Theory of Opposites?
Galen (Roman)
Who discovered the Theory of the Four Humours?
Hippocrates (Greek)
How does the Theory of Opposites work?
You do the opposite of the diagnosis
What are the 4 humours?
Phlegm, blood, yellow bile, black bile
How did they fix miasma?
Cleaned the streets
Did Germ Theory exist in the Medieval period?
No
What was seen as a severe punishment from God?
Leprosy
Was Hippocrates supported by the Church and why?
Yes because he said that God created the body
What was the smell of the air related to in the Medieval period?
Religious purity
Why was the theory of Miasma popular?
People believed that if the air was sweet, it was pure and holy and they wanted to be closer to God
How many books did Galen write?
Over 350
How long before the Medieval period did Galen and Hippocrates publish their books?
Almost 800 years before
Why was there no human dissection in the Medieval period?
The Church said that the spirit would escape instead of going to heaven
When and where was the printing press invented?
Germany 1440
Who wrote medical textbooks in the Medieval period?
Religious leaders
Who were the most influential people in the Medieval period?
Galen and Hippocrates
What is astrology?
The study of the planets
What was a poem on the preservation of health?
Regimen Sanitatis
What was an incantation?
Supernatural chants and spells to attempt to cure illness
What was flagellation?
People whipped themselves in public to show they were sorry for their sins
Why were some people discouraged from seeking any treatment at all in the Medieval period?
God sent the illness so they should just let it run it’s cause
Who were the 4 people who you would seek medical treatment from in the Medieval period?
Physician, Apothecary, Quack Doctor, Wise Woman
How many years of education did a physician receive?
7 years
Did physicians treat disease?
No, it was only a diagnosis
What were the disadvantages of a physician in the Medieval period?
-Lacked experience in treatment
-Were exclusively male so had no experience with female anatomy
-Poor availability
-Expensive
What was an apothecary?
An expert in herbal remedies
Was an apothecary cheap or expensive?
Cheap
What buildings were hospitals usually in, in the Medieval period?
Churches
What was considered a blessing in the Medieval period?
The King’s touch
What happened to patients who had leprosy or were seriously ill that turned up to hospitals in the medieval period?
They were turned away
Who ran medieval hospitals?
Nuns
How were medieval hospitals funded?
Endowments (will money) as people thought it would get them into heaven
Was the church Catholic or protestant in the Medieval period?
Catholic
Did Medieval hospitals treat patients?
No, they just gave them comfort until they died
