Public Health In The Middle Ages part 1

Question 1

What is public health?

Answer 1

The health and well-being of the population as a whole

Question 2

How were water supplies threatening public health?

Answer 2

House owners next to streams built latrines over them and water wells and cess pools were built too close together

Question 3

How was water supply improving public health?

Answer 3

Town authorities had plans to install pipes of wood/lead and the old Roman system allowed some towns to have clean water

Question 4

How was the privy threatening public health?

Answer 4

Cess pits could overflow onto roads and rivers

Question 5

How did latrines over rivers improve public health?

Answer 5

It meant cess pits were no longer needed

Question 6

What did people do to ward off bad smells that caused poor public health?

Answer 6

They would use even worse smells by covering themselves in fecal matter

Question 7

How did bad smells lead to improvements in public health?

Answer 7

As authorities began preventing butchers selling rotten meat as it smelt bad

Question 8

How were the state of the streets unhygienic?

Answer 8

As there were animals everywhere creating dung and carrying disease

Question 9

What did locally authorities do to streets to improve public health?

Answer 9

Employed teams to remove animal dung and made butchers use a specific area to cut animals

Question 10

How was tradesmen waste threatening public health?

Answer 10

As leather tanners used dangerous smelly chemicals and meat butchers dumped blood and guts into rivers

Question 11

How did they try to prevent tradesmen waste threatening public health?

Answer 11

Town councils and local craft guilds encouraged townsmen to keep to certain areas and keep themselves clean

Question 12

How did town population make it hard to keep towns clean?

Answer 12

As the town populations were large and so public health facilities couldn’t cope

Question 13

Why was it hard to keep medieval towns clean in terms of water supply?

Answer 13

As rivers were used for drinking water, transport and removing waste

Question 14

Why did people’s knowledge make it hard to keep medieval towns clean?

Answer 14

As no one knew about germs and their link to disease and infection. Instead they though disease was spread by ‘bad air’ making them keen to remove unpleasant smells

Question 15

Why were monks in the 14th century least affected by the plague?

Answer 15

As they lived isolated from everyone else

Question 16

Give 3 reasons masteries were healthier than towns?

Answer 16

• They were isolated from everyone else
• monks were educated and disciplined with access to books
• they could afford sanitation through sheep farming and donations

Question 17

What ancient idea helped monks live a healthier life?

Answer 17

The ancient roman idea of a simple routine for each day of life:
Moderate diet, exercise and sleep to balance the humours

Question 18

How did the monks access to water keep them healthy?

Answer 18

• it was isolated and next to a river
• monks diverted the river to ensure a reliable supply of water from the river
• they only drank well water and used river water for the mill, kitchen, bakery and brew house

Question 19

How did monks try to keep water clean?

Answer 19

They had pipe systems deliver water to wash basins and filter systems made sure water didn’t have any impurities?

Question 20

How did monks use of privies keep them healthy?

Answer 20

• Waste products were emptied into a pit and used as manure
• privies and cess Pitts were cleaned with river water
• urine collected underneath toilets was used for tanning and bleaching cloth produced by sheep

Question 21

How did the monks routines keep them healthy?

Answer 21

• they were ordered to use baths cleanliness meant celibacy and purity
• they bathed in a bathhouse collected to a drainage system
• feet were washed twice a week in religious ceremonies
• clothes were regularly washed

Question 22

What advantage in terms of treatment did monks have over others? give examples

Answer 22

They had the money to spend on treatments e.g. olive oil, cloves, liquorish and vinegar

Question 23

Why were the monks conditions better?

Answer 23

Due to their wealth, knowledge, location and rules