History- Medicine through time

• When was the medieval period?


  1250-1500
• What were approaches to treatment in the medieval period?


  • herbal remedies
  • praying to God
  • lighting candles at the height of what you wanted healed
  • leeching and purging
• What were the main beliefs as to what caused illness?

  • God - punishment for sins
  • Astrology - misalignment of stars
  • Theory of four humours - imbalance of humours lead to illness
• What was Regimen Sanitatis ?


  this was a loose set of instructions set by physicians to reduce your chance of illness. Items included: moderate exercises, not overeating, avoid stress, not too much sex
• To purify the air, people would carry pomanders or spread sweet smelling herbs. Local authorities would try and keep towns clean. This would prevent what?

  Miasma
• Hospital in this time focused more on care rather than treatment. They were built in monasteries and patients would be cared for by monks and nuns(women). People would share beds. Hospitals were funded for by charity money. If patients were too ill to treat, they would be turned away.
• Describe a Physician?


  • train for 7 - 10 years
  • cared for the rich
  • diagnose patients but not treat
• describe apothacries?

  • studied plants and herbal manuals
  • cheaper than physicians so would care for more people
  • mainly mixed herbs but occasionally provided charms for those wanting extra to cure their disease
• describe surgeons?


  • train in universities
  • treat people requiring surgeries or blood letting
  • barber surgeons would use their steady hand to perform minor surgeries
• What treatments were used for God's punishment?


  • praying
  • touching holy relics
  • offerings to god
  • lighting candels
• What treatments were used for miasma?


  herbal remidies
• what treatment was used for the impact of the planets?

  herbal remidies
• What treatments were used for the theory of the four humours?


  • bleeding
  • purging
• What preventions were used for God's punishment?


  • flaggelants
  • pilgrimage
• what preventions were used for miasma?


  pomander filled with herbs/flowers
• What preventions were used for four humours?


  regimentis sanitas
• What prevention was used for astrology?


  dont cut nails/hair at certain times of the year