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History 📜 > Medieval Medicine > Flashcards

Medieval Medicine Flashcards

1
Q

Who invented the theory of the four humours

A

Hippocrates

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2
Q

What were the four humours

A

Yellow bile, black bile, blood, phlegm

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3
Q

How were the four humours believed to cause illness

A

Being unbalanced

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4
Q

How many books did Galen write

A

350

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5
Q

How did Galen develop the theory of the four humours

A

Theory of Opposites

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6
Q

Between which years was the medieval period

A

1250-1500

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7
Q

What believed cause of disease was bad air filled with harmful fumes

A

Miasma

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8
Q

What three things would physicians check in urine when diagnosing patients

A

Smell, colour, taste

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9
Q

What two reasons did people think God would send illness for

A

Punishment
Test of faith

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10
Q

Which institution controlled book publishing and medical education

A

The Church

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11
Q

Why was human dissection banned

A

The Church believed the body needed to be buried whole in order for the soul to go to heaven

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12
Q

What was a believed cause of disease studying the alignments of planets / stars

A

Astrology

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13
Q

What were the three most common religious treatments

A

Prayer
Fasting
Pilgrimage

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14
Q

What was the most common treatment to balance the humours

A

Bloodletting

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15
Q

What was a phlebotomy chart

A

Chart that showed areas of the body where bleeding was recommended for specific illnesses

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16
Q

What did enemas, emetics and laxatives do to balance the humours

A

Purge the body

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17
Q

What was a theriaca

A

Common herbal remedy that could contain up to 70 ingredients

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18
Q

What herbal remedy was prescribed to improve digestion

A

Aloe Vera

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19
Q

What was prescribed to help dissolve blockages in the humours

A

Bathing

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20
Q

What was a Regimen Sanitatis

A

Loose set of instructions to advise people on healthy living

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21
Q

How did medieval people stay clean

A

Bathing and washing hands regularly

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22
Q

Herb used to prevent miasma

A

Lavender

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23
Q

What was a pomander

A

Locket full of herbs to prevent miasma

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24
Q

Who often looked after the sick in their own communities

A

Women

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25
Q

What were university-trained doctors known as until the 17th century?

A

Physicians

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26
Q

Why did ordinary people not usually see physicians

A

Rare and expensive

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27
Q

What was an apothecary

A

Early chemist who mixed herbal remedies

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28
Q

Who performed small surgeries such as pulling teeth and bleeding patients

A

Barber surgeons

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29
Q

What did medieval hospitals focus on

A

Care not cure

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30
Q

What institution ran most medieval hospitals

A

Church

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31
Q

How many hospitals were there in England by 1500

A

1100

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32
Q

What types of patient were often turned away from medieval hospitals

A

Infectious or terminally ill

33
Q

When did the Black Death arrive in England

A

1348

34
Q

What proportion of the population did the Black Death kill

A

One third

35
Q

How quickly did the Black Death usually kill someone

A

3-5 days

36
Q

What was the main natural believed cause of the Black Death

A

Miasma

37
Q

What did priests advise people to do during the Black Death

A

Pray
Go on pilgrimage
Self-flagellation

38
Q

During the Black Death how long did people new to an area have to stay away from others for

A

40 days

39
Q

What new technology was invented in the medieval period

A

The printing press
However had limited impact until the Renaissance

40
Q

Why did social attitudes hold back medical progress

A

People were deeply religious and didn’t question church teachings

41
Q

Most commonly believed causes

A

Punishment from God
Four humours

42
Q

Most common treatments

A

Prayer
Bloodletting

43
Q

Most common preventions

A

Prayer
Tithes
Regimen Sanitatis

44
Q

What are the main factors which encourage or inhibit change

A

Individuals
The Church
Societal attitudes
The government
Science / technology

45
Q

What % of the population of England was killed by the Black Death

A

40%

46
Q

What did people believe caused the Black Death

A

Punishment from God
Unusual alignment of planets
Imbalance of humours
Miasma

47
Q

What was bubonic plague

A

A contagious and fatal epidemic disease characterised by fever, vomiting and buboes

48
Q

What were flagellants

A

Religious believers who whipped themselves to repent of their sins and ask for God’s forgiveness to avoid plague

49
Q

What were treatments for the Black Death

A

Prayer
Bloodletting, purging
Smelling herbs to prevent miasma
Lancing buboes

50
Q

How did people try to prevent the spread of the Black Death

A

Prayer, pilgrimage and fasting
Self-flagellation
Posies of herbs and flowers
Streets kept cleaner
Quarantine of victims

51
Q

Why did the church promote the teachings of Galen

A

His theories fitted Christian beliefs that the body had a soul and all parts had been created by God to work together

52
Q

Why did knowledge of anatomy not increase in the medieval period

A

Dissections rare
Anything that contradicted Galen would be ignored

53
Q

Who was Galen

A

Claudius Galen - Greek doctor in Ancient Rome
His ideas formed the basis of medieval medical ideas
Developed Hippocrates’ ideas
Drew diagrams of human anatomy

54
Q

Who was Hippocrates

A

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

55
Q

What rational methods were used as prevention in medieval period

A

Keeping streets clean
Bathing / washing
Purifying air
Bleeding / purging
Exercising

56
Q

What were barber surgeons like

A

Not trained - learned practically
Bloodletting, pulling teeth, also cut hair
Basic surgery eg amputation - low success rate
Cheaper than physicians

57
Q

What were apothecaries like

A

Training but no medical qualifications
Mixed medicines based on their own knowledge or directions from physician
Cost less than physicians

58
Q

What were physicians like

A

Trained at university and passed exams
Diagnoses illnesses and gave treatments or sent patients to apothecary / surgeon
Expensive and rare

59
Q

What was care in the home like

A

Most ill people treated at home by family member
Village “wise woman”, often lady of the manor, would also tend to people

60
Q

What did physicians do

A

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

61
Q

What were hospitals like

A

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

62
Q

What were symptoms of the Black Death

A

Swellings filled with pus (buboes)
Fever and chills
Headache
Vomiting or diarrhoea

63
Q

What was the Hippocratic Collection

A

Contains books which doctors used for centuries, detailing lists of symptoms and treatments

64
Q

How did Hippocrates contribute to observing and recording

A

Showed importance of observing and recording symptoms and development of diseases

65
Q

Why was sickness common in the medieval period

A

Poor nutrition (especially at times of famine)
Poor healthcare / understanding of disease
Hard physical labour
Crowded towns with no drains meant disease spread quickly

66
Q

What proportion of people died before adulthood

A

Nearly half

67
Q

What was trepanning

A

Drilling hole into skull to let the demon out

68
Q

What was cauterisation

A

Burning the wound to stop the flow of blood

69
Q

Physicians were respected and educated but…

A

Their treatments were often ineffective

70
Q

Herbal remedies often made people feel better but…

A

Didn’t treat the cause of disease

71
Q

What % of hospitals were owned by the church

A

30%

72
Q

What was an endowment

A

When a wealthy person left money in their will to set up a hospital

73
Q

What were lazar houses

A

Special hospitals to look after people with leprosy

74
Q

What were quack doctors

A

Unqualified people who claimed to have medical knowledge and sold fake cures

75
Q

Define contagion

A

Spread of disease between people

76
Q

Why was there continuity in medicine in the medieval period

A

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

77
Q

Define phlebotomy

A

Cutting someone and bleeding them to try and treat an imbalance in the humours

78
Q

Why did low literacy rates cause continuity

A

Most people couldn’t read or write so depended on the church for education

History 📜 (8 decks)

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