People's Health Flashcards
What was built in medieval times due to the Thames becoming too dirty? Who protected and repaired this?
the “great conduit” was built to bring drinking water into London. Wardens protected and repaired pipes to keep the supply clean
T or F: Public health conditions in medieval towns were better than public health conditions in Roman times and today?
False
What was one of the causes for unsanitary conditions in medieval times?
population growth and urbanisation
Why did disease spread quickly in town in the medieval period?
more people lived in towns, so towns became crowded. People lived close together in houses made of wood and overcrowding meant that disease spread quickly
Why were towns not clean in the medieval period?
Towns were not clean because people did not know that dirt could cause disease and nobody understood germs or bacteria
What was believed to be the cause of illness in the medieval period?
Miasma (bad air) - towns smelt bad, people then got ill so people thought that the bad air made people ill
What two things were rivers used for in the medieval period? What did this mean?
sewage as well as for drinking water. This meant that there was a lack of clean water
What were used for people to throw their liquid waste and sewage into in the medieval period?
cesspits
in the medieval period, houses were used for living in and what else?
houses were also used for business by butchers and barbers
Where was waste and rubbish from butchers and barbers thrown in the medieval period?
rivers and the street
T or F: houses in the medieval period were different in the countryside compared to towns and cities?
True
What two types of houses did peasants live in in the medieval period?
mud huts and strong wooden houses
What was the largest house in the village and who lived there in the medieval period?
the largest house in the village was the manor house where the lord lived
What was grown in the gardens belonging to village houses in the medieval period?
vegetables and fruits
Why were cesspits and rubbish tips useful in village gardens in the medieval period?
human and animal excrement fertilised the soil
What did peasants’ livelihood depend on in the medieval period and why?
their ability to harvest the land because they needed a successful harvest to have enough food
What caused huge problems for peasant communities in 1315-16?
The Great Famine
What else could cause disaster for peasants in the medieval period?
disease among animals
What led to the deaths of 10% of the population in the medieval period?
more bad harvests until 1322
If the weather was damp, a fungus grew on what type of bread made by the poor?
rye bread
Why was the fungus that grew on rye bread bad?
The fungus caused ergotism. This was a disease which caused outbreaks of warts on the skin. People often went mad too.
Why did the rich never catch ergotism?
their bread was made of wheat
T or F: Villagers drank more than those in towns in the medieval period
true
What three other drinks, aside from water, did people drink in the medieval period?
cider made from apples, mead made from honey, and ale which was known as ‘small beer’
Where were villages located in the medieval period?
near streams to make sure there were water supplies - both humans and animals needed water
What was the purpose of mills and how were they turned?
Some streams turned mills, which ground grain
What else did villagers in the medieval period use streams for and why was this important?
villagers often caught fish from the stream, which was an important source of vitamins, even if they did not realise this
What was essential to life in both the countryside and towns?
water
What was the Black Death?
a mixture of bubonic
plage and pneumonic plague
When did the Black Death epidemic hit Britain?
in 1348
How was bubonic
plage spread?
spread by fleas on black rats
How was pneumonic plague spread?
airborne spread by coughing/sneezing
How long after the first symptoms did the bubonic and pneumonic plages take to cause death?
2 days
Where did the Black death disease begin?
Asia
How did the Black Death spread to Europe?
on merchant ships
Name a supernatural belief about the cause of the Black Death epidemic at the time
the position of the stars
God’s wrath
Name a natural belief about the cause of the Black Death epidemic at the time
miasmas
humour imbalances
What was the Black Death actually caused by?
Bacteria in fleas’ stomachs
How did the Black Death actually spread?
Fleas passed on the disease to rats who passed it on to humans
Why did the Black Death spread quickly?
many people lived close to each other
Name four Remedies used for the Black Death and their believed purposes
Prayers - to appease God
Herbs - protections from miasma
Purging, vomiting, bloodletting - keep humours in balance
Moving away/avoiding infected individuals
How did Winchester attempt to stop the Black Death and why?
tried to build cemeteries away from people’s homes because some people thought that the plague was caught from dead bodies
How did Gloucester attempt to stop the Black Death? Did they succeed?
Tried to stop anyone outside the town entering - did not succeed
What did towns try to set up to prevent the spread of the Black Death but didn’t usually work?
quarantine zones
How long did ships have to wait while quarantined before unloading in Britain?
40 days
Other than killing huge amounts of the population, what else did the Black Death lead to?
food shortages and therefore higher food prices
How much of the British population are estimated to have died from the Black Death?
30-45% - whole towns were killed by it
How was the church harmed by the Black Death?
lots of experienced priests died and new clergymen demanded higher wages
Why did peasants have the audacity to ask for higher wages during and after the Black Death?
lots of workers were killed, peasants moved around to earn higher wages
How were some peasants able to buy land?
The cost of buying land fell because of the lower population
Which Law tried to prevent peasants moving around so much?
1349 Ordinance of Labourers
Some historians think that the 1349 Ordinance of Labourers and the Black Death contributed to what?
The Peasants’ Revolt in 1381
By what year was the worst of the Black Death over by?
1350
T or F: The Black Death was the last Plague in Britain
False - plagues continued for centuries
What was the worst example of plague in Britain?
The Great Beach of 1665
What was the closest thing to our view of modern day doctors in the medieval period?
a man/woman who had been trained in Hippocratic and Galenic methods
Which church was influential and popular in Europe in the medieval period?
The Christian Church
Where were lots of medieval doctors trained?
universities that were set up by the church, most of which were based in Italy
Whose ideas were usually taught in the church’s medical school?
Galen’s
Why did the Christian church like Galen’s ideas?
They thought it fitted with their view of God and doctors believed that his ideas were correct
Name four tools that medieval doctors had to treat patients and their purposes?
A book - to record possible illnesses
Leeches - to remove blood
Aromatic objects - could stop miasma
A zodiac chart - to predict future illnesses
Why were doctors rare in large towns in the medieval period?
They were expensive and most people couldn’t afford to see them
Some doctors began to observe their patients on the battlefield (in wars)
Where could the poor receive medical treatment in the medieval period?
only in hospitals set up by monasteries
Why were lots of people who were very ill in the medieval period not treated?
people were scared that the disease could spread to other people
What were apothecaries?
people who sold herbal remedies in the medieval period
What were female apothecaries called?
wise women
Why did people use apothecaries?
they couldn’t afford to pay doctors
Why did monasteries generally have better hygiene than towns?
they had a more advanced system which could separate wastage and drinking water
Describe latrines in monasteries
Latrines are toilets. They were built in a different building to the rest of the monastery. They were usually built over running water so that any waste or sewage was taken away
What did monasteries have to look after the sick?
small infirmaries
Who else did monasteries care for besides those who lived there?
poor locals who had no access to medical treatment elsewhere
What did the monasteries grow?
herbs in their gardens to help treat patients
Name four reasons why monasteries had better hygiene conditions
Money
Knowledge and understanding
Population density
Abbots
What advantages did a good knowledge and understanding provide monasteries with?
Monks were literate and could read books which explained the importance of hygiene.
Being well-educated meant that monks could debate the merits of hygeine and other things.
They understood the importance of separating water and that a healthy lifestyle rested on a good diet and sleep
What advantages did money and population density provide monasteries with?
Enough money to build and maintain facilities - recieved donations and patronage from wealthy people.
Had fewer people, unlike towns where people were crammed together and disease spread easily
What were abbots?
Monasteries were controlled by 1 person - the Abbot. They could enforce rules on the whole monastery
Why did Christians believe that God would heal illness?
The church promoted the belief that illness was because of supernatural causes
What was viewed as the most important kind of treatment?
Prayers
Where and why would Christians go on Pilgrimages
to relics or to the resting place of saints in the hope of miraculously recovering from illnesses
What were Galen’s mistaken beliefs about anatomy?
holes in the heart and blood being absorbed not circulated
Why were Galen’s mistaken beliefs about anatomy not corrected?
The church only allowed dissections to happen on criminals that had been executed - religion slowed progess
What do some historians believe diverted funds away from hospitals and health towards wars?
the church’s encouragement of crusades
What were the medical benefits of crusades?
Western Europeans met Muslim doctors - ideas from the Islamic Empire could be used in Europe
What were lost when the Roman Empire fell?
lots of Ancient Roman and Greek medical texts
What caused descent? Name an example
Dissent began to be caused by people questioning the Church’s reliance on old books. For example, a monk called Roger Bacon was arrested for challenging the books in the 1200s
What did following Jesus Christ’s example lead Christians to believe about helping the sick?
it was a duty
Describe monasteries
hygienic, had clean water and good sewage facilities
Describe new hospitals
because of their religious beliefs, the church promoted the creation of hopitals. Hospitals were funded by the church or aristocratic patrons - these hospitals were usually overseen by priests, not doctors
What were hospitals designed for?
to help look after the sick, not to treat and heal them.
What was most medicine in medieval times?
palliative - relieve symptoms, not cure condition
Describe an example of a medieval palliative care hospital
Bedlam in London was founded in 1247 to look after those with mental illnesses. People with leprosy were isolated in ‘lazar houses’
What was society based around in 1250?
agriculture and small ‘cottage’ industries
What was the largest industry in English manufacturing in Early Modern England?
the cloth industry
Which type of farming was popular and why in Early Modern England?
sheep farming was popular because woolen clothes were worn by most people in 1250
When did the Industrial Revolution happen in Britain?
about 1750
What religion became stricter in 1066 when William the Conqueror took over control (and intimidated Anglo Saxons with castles)?
Catholicism
Who created the church of England and in what year?
Henry VIII in the 1530s
Who was Henry’s chief minister during the dissolution of the monateries?
Thomas Cromwell - he closed all the monasteries
What happened to the Monasteries after they god Henry VIII-ed?
Many monasteries were abandoned and crumbled into ruins
T or F: London grew rapidly during the early modern period, as the country’s wealth and influence grew
true
What was the biggest and most bustling city in Europe in the early modern period?
London
What was London’s population in 1377?
23000 people
By what year did London’s population reach 350000?
1662
What was London’s population in 1750?
675000
What was the significance of early modern London?
The houses of Parliament and all central government activities happened in London and lots of trade when through it
What put a stop to London’s rapid development in the early modern period?
The return of the plague
What percentage of England’s population lived in the rural countryside in 1086, probably working in farming and from what book is this found?
The Domesday Book found that around 90% of England’s population lived in the rural countryside in 1086
What was the third largest city in England in 1377 and what was its population?
Bristol with a population of 6,300 people
Why did town near other larger towns often grow quickly in the early modern period?
the ‘network effect’ of gaving lots of people in the same place doing things like trading spills over
Which town was 13 miles away from Bristol that grew materially in the early modern period?
Bath
What was the population of bath in 1659? And by what year did this population reach 52,000 people?
1,00 people, 1881
What was built in Bath in 1552?
The King Edward Grammar School
What was built in Bath in 1578?
The baths, with clean drinking fountains
Why did towns grow very quickly in the early modern period?
more jobs were in manufacturing in the towns as time went on. People left their farms and moved to cities
In what year was the percentage of English people living in towns or cities at 20%?
1750
Where did the Renaissance begin and how long did it last?
Florence, Italy
late 15th century - 18th century
What was the Renaissance?
a cultural movement that revived part of Ancient Greek (my beloved) and Ancrient Roman culture
What had less influence on the Renaissance?
The Church
What was humanism?
An increased focus on the importance of human factors rather than supernatural things.
What led to some people questioning the church?
a focus on direct observation and experiments to explain things rather than blame them on something supernatural
What was created in 1440 and was very important to share and spread ideas?
The printing press
What led people to see the importance of dissection and anatomy?
The rediscovery of Galen, Hippocrates and Avicenna’s work
What encouraged experimentation and the search for explanations?
the focus on humans and the increased spread of ideas
What vecame a lot more common in 17th century warfare?
guns
What was the impact of guns becoming more common?
new injuries, doctors had to find ways to treat gunshot wounds
Between what years did Henry VIII close a lot of Britain’s monasteries?
1536-1541
What was the impact of Henry VIII closing monasteries?
Because hospitals were often run by monasteries, there were actually fewer hospitals in this period than in previous years
What were most town houses made out of between 1500 and 1599?
wood - oak frame to provide strong foundations
Which materials became more fashionable to build houses out of from 1600?
stone and bricks - this lead to sturdier houses in England’s towns and cities
Describe the common house structure in early modern Britain
very narrow (usually 1 modern room wide), people would build on top of this room to create a 3 or 4 storey building
What was the average number f people sleeping in each bedroom in early modern england?
3 or more - poor families shared houses with other poor families
Why were lots of houses in early modern england unsafe and badly built?
not much local building regulation and there wasn’t any way to enforce the rules across Enland
What aspect of early modern housing was bad for people’s health?
houses were damp and wet due to being badly built
How could the diet of the rich be described in the early modern period?
very unbalanced
name 3 foods and 1 drink the rich would have had in the early modern period
food - different types of meat, ‘fish on fridays’, white bread, small amount of fruit and veg
drinks - beer, wine, mead (incase dirty water made them ill)
Who brought new food products from other parts of the world?
merchants
What became a popular drink that was sweetened with sugar from plantations where Britain had slaves?
coffee and tea
how many coffee houses had opened in London by 1750?
500
What did the poor mainly eat in the early modern period?
bread and vegetables, meat and fish were less commonge was popular
T or F: The poor no longer struggled to feed themselves when harvests were poor
false, both labourers in the cities and peasants struggled to eat during poor harvests still
where did people in towns buy their food?
markets or shops
How long would peasants in cities usually wear 1 set of clothes for in early modern england? What did this mean?
years in a row. If they could not wash their clothes, the clothes got dirtier anc dirtier, collecting lice and fleas
How many people had water inside their homes?
not many people, even rich people but they had servants who would wash their clothes and clean their houses for them
What were public fountains called?
condiuts, however lots of the water was not safe to drink
What did rich people sometimes have to get water?
wells
What did Hugh Middleton, a welsh entrepaneur do?
channel water from the River Lea into Islington (in Londonn) after getting the support of King James I (Macbeth) to complete the project
When was the less successful Gin Act created?
1736
When was the successful gin act created?
1751
When was the Great Stink?
July 1858
What was the purpose of the 1867 reform Act
provided more votes for working class men
What was the purpose of the 1848 public health act and why was it unsuccessful?
set up boards of health - it was non-compulsory
When was the more successful public health act created?
1875
Who made “homes for heroes”?
David Lloyd George
When did the Government ban Back-to-back housing?
1909
What was the purpose behind the 1919 housing act and how was it funded?
The first significant attempt to build public housing in Britain - funded by taxpayer funds
What did the Housing Act of 1930 achieve?
The law gave local councils the power to force landlords to sell their slum buildings to the council - the council then replaced the housing with new, cleaner homes
What did the 1956 Housing Subsidy Act cimmit to?
building 4,500 tower blocks by 1979 - concerns about fire safety in these high rise buildings
until what year did rationing continue?
1954
What the the advantage to rationing?
poorer memers of society had a better diet under rationing because their diet was more balanced
How many tons of coal did Britain porduce per year in:
1800:
1950:
the start of the 21st century:
1800 - 10 million tons
1950: 200 million tons
21st century - 167 million tons
Why was Smog bad?
the sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, dust and water vapour in smog led to health issues like bronchitis or pneumonia in people in industrial cities
When was the Great Smog?
4-12 December 1952
What did the Great Smog lead to?
THe 1956 Clean Air act - demanded smokeless fuels were used, sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere was reduced, and chimneys could not produce dark smoke
When did cholera come to England?
October 1831
