Treating the Sick in Medieval England Flashcards
Were there any professional doctors?
No
What were cures based on?
Ancient Greek theory of illness that involved equal balance of the four humours
Did doctors have medical training?
No
How did medieval doctors learn their practice?
Word of mouth or personal experience
What did medieval doctors experiment with?
Herbs and charms
Who did medieval doctors learn from?
Apothecaries, travelling healers and wise men/ women
Where were barber surgeons found?
Towns
Did barber surgeons get training?
Yes, as apprentices
What did barber surgeons do?
Cut hair, did bloodletting and even amputation of arms and legs
What did most barber surgeons perform?
Minor surgery based on experience
What minor surgeries did barber surgeons perform?
Setting bones and pulling out teeth
Why did a lot of people die after surgery?
Infection or blood loss
Who did most people with money go to?
Barber surgeon
How did wise men/ women treat the ill?
First aid, herbal remedies, supernatural cures with charms and spells
What were wise men/women’s cures based on?
Tradition, word of mouth and trial and error
What were passed on down the families of wise men/ women?
Wisdom and skills
How were wise men/ women priced?
Reasonably
Usually knew the patient
What were wise women? (Pregnancy)
Midwives
What was the Lady of the House expected to provide?
Medical care for her family and workers
What did travelling healers extract and mend?
Teeth, dislocations, fractures
What did travelling healers sell?
Potions
What did herbalists in monasteries use to treat patients?
Herbal treatments
What treatments did herbalists perform?
Bloodletting, prayers
How did herbalists in monasteries treat patients?
Let them rest in the infirmary
What were herbalists’ knowledge based on?
Books, word of mouth, experience
What was an example of a book that herbalists in monasteries used?
Pliny’s Natural History
What did apothecaries sell?
Medicine, herbs, spices
How long was an apothecary apprenticeship for training?
7 years
What were simples?
A medicine made from one herb or compounds which were a combination of ingredients
Example of a simple for treating smallpox?
Red rose and bamboo juice
Whose methods were trained doctors taught in?
Hippocrates and Galen
Where were trained doctors found?
Large towns
What textbooks did trained doctors use?
Islamic and British
Why could most people not afford to see a trained doctor?
Rare and expensive
How long did trained doctors have to study at university for?
At least 7 years
Who were universities controlled by?
Christian church
What was the main religion in Western Europe?
Christianity
Where were most universities based?
Italy eg Bologna and Padua
Where did some trained doctors begin to observe and treat patients?
On the battlefields in wars
What did doctors use to decide what illness someone had?
A book which recorded possible illnesses
What did leeches remove?
Blood
What did doctors prescribe to stop misma?
Aromatic objects
What had did zodiac charts show?
Which parts of the body were linked to which astrological sign
What did zodiac charts tell doctors?
What would and wouldn’t work and the best time to treat patients eg herbs picked at the wrong time could do damage
How did doctors use urine to determine disease?
Compared urine colour to a chart and sometimes smelled or tasted it
What is uroscopy?
Visually examining a patient’s urine for pus, blood, or other symptoms of disease.
Who used herbal remedies?
Apothecaries and wise men/ women
What was a herbal remedy for headaches?
Camomile tea and rest on lavender-scented pillows
What was toothache treated with?
Hot rods in the cavities because it was thought a tooth worm was making the holes
How were patients bled?
Cupping or leeches
Up to how many times were monks bled per day?
8
Why were patients bled?
Too much blood was believed to have caused illness
