The Middle Ages

Question 1

God and the cause of disease

Answer 1

Church taught people that God made them ill if he was displeased or testing them.
Everyone believed this.
No one searched for other explanations, held back medical research, few new ideas appeared.

Question 2

The Church’s control of ideas

Answer 2

Most ordinary people learnt from the church
Centre of formal learning - universities.
Discouraged dissection.
Didn’t approve of challenging ideas.
Contained most large collections of books, therefore in charge of what people read.
Promoted Galens theories.
Taught people to care for the sick, just like Jesus.

Question 3

The Four Humours

Answer 3

Ancient Greeks thought everyone had a mix of four humours in their body.
If ill = unbalanced, so tried to balance it.

Question 4

Theory of Opposites

Answer 4

Developed the four humours.
Patients given the opposite of their symptoms.
EG, phlegm = given hot peppers.

Question 5

Galen

Answer 5

Greek doctor.
Wrote many books, basis of medical training in the Middle Ages.
Developed Hippocrates ideas.
Used bloodletting, purging, theory of opposites to treat illness.
Drew detailed diagrams of human anatomy.
Carried out dissections on dead animals.

Question 6

Hippocrates

Answer 6

Ancient Greek doctor.
He dismissed the idea that God caused disease.
Believed in physical reasons, physical cures.
Treatments - diet, exercise, rest.

Question 7

Hippocratic Oath

Answer 7

Doctors had to protect patients life, and prevent harm.

PRIVACY.

Question 8

Clinical Observation

Answer 8

Studying symptoms, and taking notes to remember what has happened, can be looked back on.

Question 9

Miasma

Answer 9

‘Bad air’ - caused disease

Question 10

Bloodletting

Answer 10

Treated imbalanced humours.
Cut a vein, at a certain place in the body.
Performed by barber surgeons.

Question 11

Purging

Answer 11

rebalanced humours
vomiting, or going to the toilet, removing food.
apothecaries, or physicians prescribed it.

Question 12

Religious and Supernatural methods to prevent illness

Answer 12

Living a Christian life.
Chanting incantations.
self - punishment
lucky charms etc

Question 13

Rational methods to prevent illness

Answer 13

washing
exercising
healthy eating
bleeding/purging
purifying air
clean streets

Question 14

Traditional remedies

Answer 14

Herbs, drunk/bathed in.
Different foods to balance humours.
Sold by apothecaries/made at home

Question 15

Religious/Supernatural treatments

Answer 15

praying
fasting
pilgrimage
specific ideas for each illness
e.g. magpies beak to cure toothache

Question 16

Barber-Surgeons

Answer 16

no training
bloodletting, pulling teeth etc
basic surgery - amputating
cheaper than physician

Question 17

Apothecaries

Answer 17

Training - limited
medicines/ointments
money, less than physician

Question 18

Physician

Answer 18

Trained at university.
diagnosed illness, treatments, pulse, urine charts, zodiac charts, sent to barber surgeons/ apothecaries.
expensive - for the wealthy
very few

Question 19

Care in the home

Answer 19

female family member treated those at home.

Question 20

Hospitals

Answer 20

increased in the Middle Ages 
surroundings kept clean
treated for disease
fresh food provided
infectious diseases not admitted.
run by the church.

Question 21

Case Study - The Black Death 1348-9

Answer 21

Bubonic Plague, carried by fleas on rats.

Passed on to humans when bitten.

Question 22

How people thought the Black Death was caused:

Answer 22

Gods punishment
Astrology, planets unusual at the time.
Miasma
Poisonous gases from volcanoes
Four humours
Strangers / witches.

Question 23

How people avoided catching the Black Death:

Answer 23

Praying/fasting - punishing themselves to show god they were sorry
Cleaning streets
Lighting fires
Herbs/spices to prevent miasma
not letting unknown people enter the village

Question 24

Symptoms of the Black Death

Answer 24

Swelling of lymph glands
Fevers / chills
Headache
Vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea

Question 25

Treatments for the Black Death

Answer 25

Praying
Lucky charms
Draining pus
Cool baths, eating cool things.