Medieval Medicine Flashcards
Key person:Hippocrates
Ancient Greek.
Created Hippocratic oath
“Father of medicine”
Created theory of four humours
What were the four humours
Black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, blood
Key person:Galen
Ancient Roman.
Influenced by hippocrates
Wrote about anatomy and dissected animals
Developed theory of opposites
Galen
Influenced by hippocrates
Wrote about anatomy and dissected animals
Developed theory of opposites
Elemental qualities
Yellow bile-fire
Black bile-earth
Phlegm-water
Blood-air
Causes:miasma
Foul smelling air that caused disease
Causes:Astrological
Stars and planets alignment could predict future
Causes:jews/antisemitism
Used as scapegoat
“Infect christians”
Causes:humours
All disease caused by humoral imbalance
Treatment:praying
Repent for sins because they thought god was angry with them
Treatment:astrology
Use star charts and signs to diagnose and locate illnesses
Treatment:humoral
Purging and poisons to make you bleed and throw up to restore balance
Treatment:physicians
Expensive, went to university, refer to another doctor, look at samples, 7-10 year course, consulted star charts
Treatment:barber surgeons
Cheap, learn from each other, basic treatment teeth pulling etc, displayed bowl of blood in window,
Treatment:apothecaries
Prescribed poison, herbal remedies, not as skilled as physicians, cheap alternative
