Unit 1: Medicine in Medival Flashcards
What time period is medieval Britain?
Medieval britain is the period between 1250-1500 also known as the 13th-16th century or Middle ages
What is the definition of apothecary?
A medieval pharmacist or chemist
What is the definition of wise woman?
A female healer, who used folk medicine and herbal remedies to cure illness
What is the definition of vademecum?
a medieval medical book carried by doctors
What is the definition of a Barber surgeon?
Untrained surgeon, who practiced basic surgery
What is the definition of trepanning?
cutting a hole in the skull
What is the definition of Amulet?
a charm that brought protection from disease
What is the definition of monastery?
A building where monks live, eat and pray
What were the main preventions of disease and illness?
Diet
-what you ate was important, purging was used to detox
Hygiene
-houses kept clean, advised to comb hair/brush teeth
Purifying air
-sweet herbs were spread/ bunches of flowers
-tried to keep towns clean
Church
-praying, confessions, live sin free
Bathing
-bad smells and miasma
-public baths available
What did the church teach about disease?
The church taught that disease was sent by God and therefore the treatment should be spiritual as well
What were some religious treatments the church used?
The church used; healing prayers and incarnations
Why did people believe God caused the black death?
Many believed that God made the ultimate punishment for all the sin in the world.
Who was Hippocrates?
He was a doctor, he created the hippocratic oath to give people more confidence in their doctors. He didn’t believe that disease was sent by God, he thought they had a physical, rational basis. He had a belief in the four humours, (black bile, yellow bile, blood and phlegm) and he thought if they were unbalanced you would become sick
What were the four humours?
-blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile
-each humour was related to a season and element like;
Blood—> spring—> air
Yellow bile—>summer—>fire
Black bile—>autumn—>earth
Phlegm—>winter—>water
Who was Claudius Galen?
He believed in the theory of opposites, he believed strongly in bloodletting, he suggested that the balance of four humours could be restored by opposites. He carried out dissections on animals. He thought the blood was made in the liver
Who treated the sick?
-barber surgeons
-physicians
-apothecaries
-women
What did physicians do to treat sick?
-training 7-10 years
-they were allowed to diagnose and recommend treatment
-took samples of urine, feces and blood
-created astrology charts
-costed money
What did barber surgeons do to treat sick?
-they extracted teeth and did bloodletting
-they hung bowls of blood in windows so show they could treat sick
-they learnt practically instead of from books
-they costed money
What did apothecaries do to treat sick?
-they used herbal remedies
-they were cheaper however still costed money
-they had good knowledge
What did women do to treat the sick?
-they treated the people in the home
-they used herbal remedies but sometimes carried out minor surgery’s
-they were free
What were the main beliefs of causes of sick?
-miasma
-four humours
-religion
-astrology
-theory of opposites
Why was religion thought to of cause disease?
-god/devil sent disease
-illness was usually a mystery and very common
-the church uses religion to find answers
Why was astrology thought to of caused disease?
-the alignment of the planets and stars caused people to get sick
-it was most believed by physicians
Why was the theory of opposites thought to of caused disease?
-theory made by galen
-whatever symptoms you had treat it with the opposite e.g. fever treated by cold food
