Medieval medicine Flashcards
What did Galen get wrong about the human body
- That there were two jawbones.
* That the blood goes from one side to the other through the septum.
What did Galen tell doctors to do and what did he accomplish in 167 AD?
- He told them to observe and examine patients carefully,talking notes on their pulse and to explain symptoms in detail.
- In 167 AD he made notes about the plauge and the symptoms of it and it then became known as Galens plauge
The four Hummers?
- He believed that illness was caused by an imbalance in the four hummers.
- His ideas were built upon the Hippocrates ideas and he believed using opposites to balance the hummers.
What was Galens views of dissection?
- Galen dissected apes because they were like humans.
* He dissected human bodies in Alexandria to increase his knowledge of the body
How many books did Galen write?
Galen wrote over 350 books and they were books used by medical students for over 1500 years
Why did Galen and Hippocrates ideas and continue to be used in the middle ages?
- Chaos in the western Europe- War many of Galens book were lost or hidden away.
- church becomes more powerful
- His ideas fitted in with the church
What were the beliefs about the course of illness in the middle ages?
- Illness was sent from god and was a punishment for sin-SUPERNATURAL
- Miasma was the belief of bad air causing illness. A clean home was a sign of spiritual cleanliness-SUPERNATURAL
- Leprosy a skin disease was a disease sent from god to punish you-SUPERNATURAL
- The belief that the four hummers being balanced in your body and would avoid illness-NATURAL
- Astrology was used to explain disease,positioning of the planets have something to do with disease.
Why was the church so important in the middle ages?
- They didnt have the equipment to find things out about the body.
- they had support from the king
- The church was powerful
- Ordinary people where worries about going to hell
- Did not accept new ideas
How did the church help medicine?
Medieval monasteries had fresh water and latrines(toilets) and water fountains.
How did the church hinder medicine?
- The church banned dissection.
- Occasionally surgeons could dissect criminals
- if anything was discovered that went against Galen it was said to be imperfect
- The church forces doctors to believe Galens books and his idea of the soul fitted in with the church.
- The church provided the basic medical care through monks and nuns.
- Libraries and medical training were controlled by the church.
- Monks would bleed themselves seven times a year.
- people would go to church at least once a day and and paid a title to the church each month.
- all books were created in monasteries and only monks and nuns could write
What were the beliefs that cause illness?
- eating to much made you ill
- using charms would worn of disease
- planets has something to do with disease
- that herbs would freshen up the air
What were the causes of illness?
- illness was caused by miasma
- imbalance in the four hummers
- blood letting would let out disease
What were the supernatural beliefs in treatment in the middle ages?
- If disease had spread it has something to do with the positioning of the planets
- God has punished you
- astrology
- praying for them to get better
Treatments that are natural in middle ages?
- Physicians could give proper treatments
- paying to see a doctor
- blood letting
- people giving free surgery
Who healed the sick in medieval england?
- the wise women who lives locally
- lady of the manner using herbal remedies
- monks in monasteries(if you live by one)
- Doctors-very few in number and poor people couldn’t afford them
- peddler traveled round selling cures.Often unreliable
- Care in the home-herbal remedies
