The Church

Question 1

What was the impact of religion during the Middle Ages on the development of medical knowledge?

Answer 1

1. Church remained the constant authority from the Romans to the Middle Ages
2. They controlled every aspect of medical treatment and training
3. Therefore, Galen’s work appeared everywhere because he did not challenge the Christian views that God created the body which meant that medical knowledge was not explored or expanded on.
4. They banned dissections on humans because the body could not go to heaven which limited the knowledge of the human body.

Question 2

What was the role of the Church on doctor’s training?

Answer 2

1. The majority of doctors were trained by reading books that were in the monasteries supplied by the Church. This meant that about all of Galen’s work and the theory of the four humours/theory of opposites
2. This also meant that the Church maintained control over the medical profession until the Reformation.
3. The Church decided which books to copy and distribute and what medical knowledge was shared

Question 3

What were the Church’s teachings of the cases of disease?

Answer 3

1. Natural explanations: disease caused by imbalance of humours
2. Supernatural explanations: disease and illness caused by sin/the misalignment of the planets
3. Miasma: illness and disease caused by bad air (some made link between dirt and disease but could not explain why so it was not accepted)
4. Desperate explanations: Jews blamed for poisoning water/cats and dogs blamed for disease.

Question 4

What were the Church’s teachings for the treatment of disease?

Answer 4

1. Bleeding
2. Purging
3. Treating with opposites
4. Prayer
5. Sick people went on pilgrimages to saints’ shrines to make offerings
6. Attending Church regularly and living by the rules of the Church prevented illness and disease.
7. The position of the moon- particularly important when bleeding a patient

Question 5

Why was the Church important in caring for the sick?

Answer 5

1. Hospitals were set up and run by monks/nuns (did no t cure patients just prayed for them)
2. Few hospitals actually employed a doctor
3. Many hospitals refused infectious/incurable patients
4. They looked after patients until God decided what to do

Question 6

What was the Reformation?

Answer 6

When Henry VIII founded the Church of England, destroying monasteries and other Catholic institutions in order to divorce his wife.

Question 7

During what time period were the Church most influential and powerful?

Answer 7

The Middle Ages