Medieval things Flashcards
list the 4 humours
- yellow bile
- blood
- black bile
- phlegm
what were thought to be the features of yellow bile? [4 humours]
- hot and dry
- choleric, bad-tempered, ambitious
- to rectify - induced vomiting and dieting
what were thought to be the features of blood? [4 humours]
- hot and wet
- sanguine, optimistic, impulsive
- to rectify; bloodletting, red wine, red meat
what were thought to be the features of black bile? [4 humours]
- cold and dry
- melancholic, creative, depressed
- to rectify; laxatives, vegetables
what were thought to be the features of phlegm? [4 humours]
- cold and wet
- phlegmatic, unemotional, lazy
- to rectify; steam
describe the state of the medical profession in the medieval era
- solitary expensive unregulated doctors
- apothecaries and physicians
what did medieval doctors do?
used some clinical observation but only looked at 2 indicators (pulse and urine)
what did apothecaries do?
prescribed natural medicines such as herbs, oils, and animals
how were physicians trained in the medieval era?
- spent 7 yrs at university where they listened to debates, lectures and readings
- had muslin, Indian, Chinese and ancient Greek (medical textbooks were based in Greek knowledge) teachings
- could leave without ever seeing a patient (‘good’ physicians read books, not necessarily treated patients)
in 1300, how many physicians were there in England?
fewer than 100
why was there limited medical progress in the medieval era?
- church suffocated new ideas as supernatural beliefs helped the church by turning people to them
- war and conflict destroyed much of roman progress
- no government encouragement
- hard to travel and communicate
what are some examples of a lack of rationality in medicine in the medieval period?
- witchcraft and charms
- zodiac charts
- astrology
- superstitious beliefs were accessible and widely held
summarise the history of astrology
developed in Islamic medicine and brought to England between 1100-1300
what were some ‘supernatural’ causes of disease that were believed in the medieval period?
- doctrine of signatures
- punishment from god for leading a sinful life or society’s sins - meant people didnt search for cures or causes
- demons
what were some ‘natural’ causes of disease that were believed in the medieval period?
- miasma theory was based in observation - poisonous particles suspended in air
- 4 humours
what did the belief that disease was a punishment from god for leading a sinful life or society’s sins mean for medicine?
people didnt search for cures or causes
what did Hippocrates do?
- hippocratic oath
- wrote the hippocratic corpus (60+ books)
- promoted rest & exercise & a healthy lifestyle
- created theory of the 4 humours
- 5th-4th cent BCE wrote ‘on airs, waters and places’
- promoted clinical observation
what was the Hippocratic Oath?
an oath taken by physicians to swear to practice medicine ethically and honestly
how many medical books did Hippocrates write?
over 60
What did Hippocrates’ ‘On Airs, Waters and Places’ argue?
that the environment (natural) was the cause of disease, therefore disease had a natural cure
what is clinical observation?
observing and recording symptoms and treatment of disease
what was the influence of the Hippocratic Oath?
- good but did mean people didn’t take risks
- still used today
what did Galen do?
- wrote 100s of treatises
- compiled all Greek and Roman knowledge to date
- promoted 4 humours theory and created the theory of opposites
- pig experiment - encouraged dissection where possible - proved brain not the heart controlled speech
- referred to ‘the creator’ which fit with Christianity
- made anatomical and physiological observations
- his ideas were translated into Latin which made him seem more trustworthy
what was the theory of opposites?
- created by Galen
- suggested different foods, drinks, herbs and spices had a humour which could balance the excessive humour causing the disease
what was the significance of Paracelsus?
- bridged gap into renaissance
- declared ‘galen is a liar and a fake’ but still believed in 4 humours
- argued the body was a chemical system that had to be in balance internally and in harmony with the environment - introduced new chemical substances into medicine eg mercury
- questioned some old ideas
what was the significance/impact of hippocrates?
- encouraged observation
- professionalism in doctors still evident today
- greek doctors developed the first rational system (based on logic and common sense)
what was the significance/impact of galen?
- his prominence due to approval by the Christian church meant there was a lack of new ideas as it became heresy to disagree despite his ideas often being wrong (jawbone, kidneys)
- ideas lasted over 1000 years and taught in medical schools
what did Paracelsus do?
- father of toxicology - worked on the effect of poisons on the human body
- disagreed with the 4 humours - added the idea of the holy trinity (salt, sulphur and mercury)
- thought disease attacked the body from the outside
- developed doctrine of signatures
describe Christian medical beliefs
- follow jesus’ example - belief in miraculous healing
- care not cure - illness is god’s punishment
- some are destined to die - Faritius (Italian Benedictine Abbot/physician)11th cent said ‘there is no medicine for death’
- pilgrimage, relics, prayer, and shrines all important
- Pliny’s Natural History provided everyday remedies
what did roger bacon do?
- encouraged doctors to learn from their own experiments
- in 1278 the christian church imprisoned him for questioning galen
what was the significance/impact of roger bacon?
highlighted church control - doctors not allowed to explore for themselves which meant medical progress did not happen
describe Islamic medical beliefs
- encouraged learning
- thought peace and order was necessary for progress
- illness not seen as divine punishment
- medical schools
- bimaristans provided treatment for all and had permanent doctors
- prohibited dissection
what did avicenna do?
- wrote ‘the canon of medicine’ - brought together ideas of Galen and Hippocrates and kept their ideas alive after the collapse of the roman empire
- described how contagious diseases spread and necessary methods of quarantine
- listed the medical properties of over 760 different drugs
- discussed anorexia and obesity
where was Avicenna from?
Persia
what was the significance/impact of avicenna?
- ‘canon of medicine’ became standard European medical textbook and used to teach doctors in the west until the 17th century
- Islamic doctors developed new techniques in medicine, surgery, pharmacology and dissection
- he founded hospitals and introduced physician training
what was the ‘Canon of Medicine’?
- written by Avicenna
- million-word textbook covering all aspects of medicine and bringing together the ideas of Galen and Hippocrates
- described sedative inhalation for surgery (a ‘soporific sponge’, soaked in an herbal potion that is placed under the patient’s nose during an operation to keep them sedated)
what did Hunain ibn Ishaq (Johannitius) do?
travelled from Baghdad to Byzantium to collect Greek medical texts and translated them into Arabic
what did Ibn Al-Nafis do?
- disproved galen’s heart theory - suggested that blood flows from one side of heart to other via lungs and doesnt cross the septum
- work wasn’t recognised in the west until 20th cent
- discovered new drugs
what did Al Razi do?
promoted careful observation and discovered the difference between smallpox and measles
what did Caliph Al-Rashid do?
- built a new Baghdad hospital/library
- linked physical and mental health
what did Abu al-Qasim (Abulcasis) do?
- wrote Al Tasrif
- invented 20 new surgical instruments
- popularised cauterisation