Medieval Medicine Flashcards
Who invented the theory of the four humours
Hippocrates
What were the four humours
Yellow bile, black bile, blood, phlegm
How were the four humours believed to cause illness
Being unbalanced
How many books did Galen write
350
How did Galen develop the theory of the four humours
Theory of Opposites
Between which years was the medieval period
1250-1500
What believed cause of disease was bad air filled with harmful fumes
Miasma
What three things would physicians check in urine when diagnosing patients
Smell, colour, taste
What two reasons did people think God would send illness for
Punishment
Test of faith
Which institution controlled book publishing and medical education
The Church
Why was human dissection banned
The Church believed the body needed to be buried whole in order for the soul to go to heaven
What was a believed cause of disease studying the alignments of planets / stars
Astrology
What were the three most common religious treatments
Prayer
Fasting
Pilgrimage
What was the most common treatment to balance the humours
Bloodletting
What was a phlebotomy chart
Chart that showed areas of the body where bleeding was recommended for specific illnesses
What did enemas, emetics and laxatives do to balance the humours
Purge the body
What was a theriaca
Common herbal remedy that could contain up to 70 ingredients
What herbal remedy was prescribed to improve digestion
Aloe Vera
What was prescribed to help dissolve blockages in the humours
Bathing
What was a Regimen Sanitatis
Loose set of instructions to advise people on healthy living
How did medieval people stay clean
Bathing and washing hands regularly
Herb used to prevent miasma
Lavender
What was a pomander
Locket full of herbs to prevent miasma
Who often looked after the sick in their own communities
Women
What were university-trained doctors known as until the 17th century?
Physicians
Why did ordinary people not usually see physicians
Rare and expensive
What was an apothecary
Early chemist who mixed herbal remedies
Who performed small surgeries such as pulling teeth and bleeding patients
Barber surgeons
What did medieval hospitals focus on
Care not cure
What institution ran most medieval hospitals
Church
How many hospitals were there in England by 1500
1100
What types of patient were often turned away from medieval hospitals
Infectious or terminally ill
When did the Black Death arrive in England
1348
What proportion of the population did the Black Death kill
One third
How quickly did the Black Death usually kill someone
3-5 days
What was the main natural believed cause of the Black Death
Miasma
What did priests advise people to do during the Black Death
Pray
Go on pilgrimage
Self-flagellation
During the Black Death how long did people new to an area have to stay away from others for
40 days
What new technology was invented in the medieval period
The printing press
However had limited impact until the Renaissance
Why did social attitudes hold back medical progress
People were deeply religious and didn’t question church teachings
Most commonly believed causes
Punishment from God
Four humours
Most common treatments
Prayer
Bloodletting
Most common preventions
Prayer
Tithes
Regimen Sanitatis
What are the main factors which encourage or inhibit change
Individuals
The Church
Societal attitudes
The government
Science / technology
What % of the population of England was killed by the Black Death
40%
What did people believe caused the Black Death
Punishment from God
Unusual alignment of planets
Imbalance of humours
Miasma
What was bubonic plague
A contagious and fatal epidemic disease characterised by fever, vomiting and buboes
What were flagellants
Religious believers who whipped themselves to repent of their sins and ask for God’s forgiveness to avoid plague
What were treatments for the Black Death
Prayer
Bloodletting, purging
Smelling herbs to prevent miasma
Lancing buboes
How did people try to prevent the spread of the Black Death
Prayer, pilgrimage and fasting
Self-flagellation
Posies of herbs and flowers
Streets kept cleaner
Quarantine of victims
Why did the church promote the teachings of Galen
His theories fitted Christian beliefs that the body had a soul and all parts had been created by God to work together
Why did knowledge of anatomy not increase in the medieval period
Dissections rare
Anything that contradicted Galen would be ignored
Who was Galen
Claudius Galen - Greek doctor in Ancient Rome
His ideas formed the basis of medieval medical ideas
Developed Hippocrates’ ideas
Drew diagrams of human anatomy
Who was Hippocrates
Ancient Greek doctor
He believed there was a physical reason for illness which needed a physical cure
Most treatments based on diet, exercise and rest, but also bleeding / purging
Wrote Hippocratic Oath
What rational methods were used as prevention in medieval period
Keeping streets clean
Bathing / washing
Purifying air
Bleeding / purging
Exercising
What were barber surgeons like
Not trained - learned practically
Bloodletting, pulling teeth, also cut hair
Basic surgery eg amputation - low success rate
Cheaper than physicians
What were apothecaries like
Training but no medical qualifications
Mixed medicines based on their own knowledge or directions from physician
Cost less than physicians
What were physicians like
Trained at university and passed exams
Diagnoses illnesses and gave treatments or sent patients to apothecary / surgeon
Expensive and rare
What was care in the home like
Most ill people treated at home by family member
Village “wise woman”, often lady of the manor, would also tend to people
What did physicians do
Observed patient’s symptoms and checked their pulse, skin colour + urine
Consulted urine charts
Consulted zodiac charts
Either treated them or sent them to a barber surgeon / apothecary
What were hospitals like
Many were places where travellers / pilgrims stayed
Number increased during Middle Ages
Infectious or terminally ill people not admitted usually
Places of recuperation rather than cure
Clean, patients given fresh food and rest
What were symptoms of the Black Death
Swellings filled with pus (buboes)
Fever and chills
Headache
Vomiting or diarrhoea
What was the Hippocratic Collection
Contains books which doctors used for centuries, detailing lists of symptoms and treatments
How did Hippocrates contribute to observing and recording
Showed importance of observing and recording symptoms and development of diseases
Why was sickness common in the medieval period
Poor nutrition (especially at times of famine)
Poor healthcare / understanding of disease
Hard physical labour
Crowded towns with no drains meant disease spread quickly
What proportion of people died before adulthood
Nearly half
What was trepanning
Drilling hole into skull to let the demon out
What was cauterisation
Burning the wound to stop the flow of blood
Physicians were respected and educated but…
Their treatments were often ineffective
Herbal remedies often made people feel better but…
Didn’t treat the cause of disease
What % of hospitals were owned by the church
30%
What was an endowment
When a wealthy person left money in their will to set up a hospital
What were lazar houses
Special hospitals to look after people with leprosy
What were quack doctors
Unqualified people who claimed to have medical knowledge and sold fake cures
Define contagion
Spread of disease between people
Why was there continuity in medicine in the medieval period
Church wanted to keep things the same - emphasised Galen because his ideas fit their teachings
Physicians made discoveries fit old theories rather than experimenting
Printing press had little effect
Attitudes of normal people
Define phlebotomy
Cutting someone and bleeding them to try and treat an imbalance in the humours
Why did low literacy rates cause continuity
Most people couldn’t read or write so depended on the church for education
