Medieval

• 1. Which ancient theories were still used during the Medieval period?

  Four Humours by Hippocrates and Theory of Opposites by Galen.
• 2. What were the four liquids in the Four Humours theory called and how did people think the 'four humours' could make you sick?

  Black bile, Yellow bile, blood and phlegm. An imbalance could lead to sickness, influenced by seasons or planetary alignment.
• 3. How did people link illness to the planets (astrology)?

  Bad planetary alignment was believed to cause illness; star charts were consulted for diagnosis.
• 5. How did people think miasma could make you sick?

  Miasma was bad air from rotting things believed to spread disease.
• 7. What were common herbal remedies and where could people read about them?

  Aloe vera, mint, chamomile, rose oil, almonds, saffron, absinth; mentioned in Materia Medica and Circa Instans.
• 8. Why was the Church so powerful in medieval England?

  The Church was the main source of education for people in Medieval England as many were illiterate. People also paid money to the Church (known as a tithe) every month. The Church owned vast amounts of land and was the centre of a community.
• 9. Why did people believe God caused illness?

  People in Medieval England were very religious - they received the majority of their information from the Catholic Church. They learned that sin was dangerous and would be punished by God, possibly through disease. God was believed to control the universe.
• 10. What did people believe you could do to encourage God to make you better?

  Prayers, special masses, fasting, pilgrimages, and self-flagellation.
• 11. Where were most hospitals based?

  Most hospitals were based near monasteries and run by monks and nuns. Around 1/3rd of hospitals were run by the Church. The number of Hospitals was on the rise during the Middle-Ages and by 1500 there were an estimated 1,100 hospitals in England ranging from just a few beds to a few hundred beds.
• 12. What sort of care did you get in a hospital?

  You would be given a clean place to rest and recover rather than treatment for an illness. Hospitals, as they were often run by the Church, were staffed by members of the clergy both male and female. The majority of the population of England were actually treated in their own homes and not in hospitals.
• 13.What job did an apothecary have?

  Apothecaries mixed herbal remedies and had a good knowledge of the healing power of plants. A range of people in medieval society would have visited an apothecary and they sold more and less expensive remedies
• 14. What was a barber-surgeon?

  Barber surgeons performed small surgeries, pulled teeth and bled patients. They would have treated a wide range of people in mediaeval society
• 15. How did medieval physicians treat people and how were they trained?

  Medieval Physicians would have studied at university to become a doctor. The training would take up to 10 years. The Church controlled a minority of training. Only the very wealthy could afford the services of a proper physician. Their beliefs about the causes of illnesses were based on the ancient teachings of Aristotle and Hippocrates. Medieval physicians paid attention to a patient's humours.
• 16. Who were wise women and how did they treat people?

  Knowledge was usually passed down to them through the generations of traditional or folk medicine. The local 'wise woman' was often the first person contacted by poor people who used various herbs to produce home-made medicines and potions. 'Wise Women' dealt with all kind of illness and medical conditions, including childbirth and, in some cases, abortion. 'Wise Women' also used many practical herbal remedies, drawing on plants and the rest of the natural environment, which they knew well.
• 17. How safe and professional was surgery?

  Some surgeons were highly trained and professional - a skilled surgeon could set broken limbs, remove arrows from wounds and perform cataract operations. This was not true of all surgeons and some lack qualifications and were less skilled.
• 18. Who was John Arderne?

  John Arderne was a 14th century surgeon who became famous for his very high success rate. He specialised in removing growths from anuses (this was a problem due to horse riding at the time). He wrote The Practice of Surgery in 1350. In the book he wrote about the importance of a good bedside manner as well as urging surgeons to use their own experience while not relying on the ideas of Galen and Hippocrates.
• 19. What was the general condition of a town during Medieval Times?

  Local authorities did their best to keep towns clean, trying to make sure that there were no rotting animals left around and that public toilets were kept clean. Towns were however still poorly equipped to deal with sanitary issues and rubbish and rotting matter did build up in the streets.
• 20. What specific examples do we have of local authorities taking action to keep towns clean?

  Local authorities passed quarantine laws during the Black Death pandemic (1348 - 50) to stop people moving around too much. They also stopped cleaning the streets, believing that the foul stench of rubbish and rotting bodies would drive away the miasma that they thought caused the plague
• 21. What was the Black Death and when did it reach Britain?

  An outbreak of the bubonic plague, spread by flea bites and resulting in a swift and painful death.
• 22. What did people think caused the Black Death?

  God deserting mankind as punishment for sins combined with the unusual positioning of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, interpreted by astronomers as a sign that something terrible would occur. People also believed that miasma was a cause.
• 23. What was done to try to prevent and treat the Black Death?

  Confession of sins, asking God's forgiveness and prayer. Bleeding and purging, smelling strong herbs, lighting a fire or boiling vinegar. Prevention also centred around religion - prayer, fasting, making pilgrimages and self-flagellation (whipping).
• 24. What role did Islamic medicine play in preserving Greek and Roman ideas?

  Muslim writers like Ibn Sina (or Avicenna) played an important role in saving much of this lost knowledge, translating the works of Ancient Greece and Rome into Arabic, and building on them, and these texts were eventually passed back into Western Europe.
• 25. What was Islamic medicine like in the medieval period?

  The Islamic world was much further developed than western Europe at this time. Islamic hospitals were established in the AD900s and they taught medicine, as well as treating people. The most famous hospitals were in Baghdad (modern day Iraq), Damascus (Syria) and Cairo (Egypt). The Koran tells Muslims that taking care of the sick and needy is a vital part of the Muslim faith.
• 26. Who were some of the key figures in Islamic medicine?

  Ibn Sina (or Avicenna): 980-1037. Wrote many textbooks, forty of which survive. They include Kitab ash-Shifa (Book of Healing) and al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (Canon of Medicine), a 5-volume textbook which was used in Europe right up until the 18th century. Between 1516 and 1574 it was reprinted at least 60 times. Al-Razi (or Rhazes): c860-932. Wrote the first accurate description of measles and smallpox, and served as chief physician at the hospital in Baghdad.