medieval period Flashcards
what years is the medieval period?
1000 - 1500
what is the Hippocratic oath?
promise made by doctors to treat patients to best of their ability, preserve their privacy and pass down medical knowledge to next generation - a version of it is still in use today
how did Arab doctors keep classical knowledge alive after the fall of the roman empire?
- Ibn Ishaq - travelled from Baghdad to Byzantium to collect greek medical texts & translated these into Arabic
- this classical knowledge was eventually brought to Europe by Avicenna - he wrote the canon of medicine - brought together ideas of Galen and Hippocrates + was the most important way that classical ideas got back to western Europe
- this work + other Islamic texts were trans into Latin in Spain or Italy
- the crusades - successful series of wars fought by European Christians against Muslims to retake Jerusalem - also made Europe aware of the scientific knowledge of Islamic doctors
what new discoveries did islamic doctors make?
- albucasis - wrote a well-thought-out book describing amputations, the removal of bladder stones and dental surgery
- Avenzoar - described the parasite that causes scabies and began to question the reliability of Galen
where did people go to treat disease in medieval period?
- physicians - male doctors who trained at uni for at least 7 yrs - read ancient texts + writings from Islamic world - training involved very little practical experience
- fewer than 100 physicians in England in 1300 - & expensive
- apothecaries - prepared and sold remedies - most common form of treatment in Britain as more accessible than physician
- wise-women - sold herbal remedies
what were hospitals like in the medieval period?
- most public hospitals set up & run by church - relatively few during this time
- care over cure - no treatment but food, water + warm place to stay
- most hospitals more hygienic than elsewhere - had developed water + sewerage systems
what was medieval surgery like?
- medieval surgery very dangerous - no way to prevent blood loss, infection or pain - only attempted rarely and for minor procedures
- few uni trained, highly paid surgeons, but surgery as a whole not respected profession - most operations carried out by barber-surgeons
what progress was made in medieval period in surgery?
- Hugh of Lucca + his son - worked as surgeons & recognised importance of practical experience + observation - questioned some of Galen’s ideas
- they began dressing wounds with bandages soaked in wine because noticed wine helped keep wounds clean + prevent infection - made discovery by chance
- john of arderne - created a recipe for an anaesthetic in 14th cent to reduce pain during operations
how did the government help with public health in towns during the medieval period?
- in 13th century - water channel called great conduit built to bring clean water into london - thames getting too toxic
- 14th cent - london eventually banned any waste from being thrown into thames
when did the black death occur?
1348
what did people believe the cause of the black death to be?
- judgement from god - thought cause of disease was sin - tried to prevent spread of disease by prayer + fasting
- humour imbalances - tried to get rid of BD by bloodletting + purging
- miasma - strong-smelling herbs or lit fires to purify air
how did local governments try to prevent the spread of the black death?
- town of Gloucester tried to shut itself off from outside world - suggests they thought plague could be spread by human contact - attempt unsuccessful - but shows they had right idea
- king Edward iii closed parliament
how did the black death cause social change?
- after BD fewer workers - meant they could demand higher wages
- cost of land decreased allowing peasants to buy land for first time
- these changes threatened the power of the elites
- some people think BD helped cause peasants’ revolt and led to collapse of feudal system
