Treating Disease

• What are the two categories of medieval treatments?

  Supernatural and natural
• What does "Supernatural" mean in the context of medieval treatments?

  Beyond nature, often spiritual or religious
• How were supernatural treatments related to the cause of disease?

  If the cause was supernatural, so was the treatment
• What was one common religious treatment for illness?

  Prayer to a particular saint
• Who was St. Valentine associated with in medieval treatments?

  Epilepsy and the plague
• What was the purpose of confessing sins in medieval treatments?

  To gain God's forgiveness and remove illness
• What was a pilgrimage in the context of medieval treatments?

  A religious journey to a saint's shrine
• What was the significance of sacred waters in medieval treatments?

  Believed to cure specific diseases
• Why might some people not fight their disease in medieval times?

  They believed it was part of God's plan
• What was the focus of natural or rational cures in medieval medicine?

  Treating symptoms rather than the disease
• Who were the most expensive medical practitioners in medieval times?

  Physicians or doctors
• What did physicians aim to do according to Hippocratic ideas?

  Diagnose and treat by balancing the humors
• What was Galen's theory of opposites used for?

  To balance the humors in patients
• What was bloodletting used for in medieval treatments?

  To balance the humors
• What were phlebotomy charts used for?

  To help doctors bleed patients correctly
• What role did apothecaries play in medieval medicine?

  Mixed medicines for a price
• What were theriacs in medieval medicine?

  Medicines with exotic ingredients
• What were quacks known for in medieval times?

  Traveling medicine salespeople
• What was the primary function of barber surgeons?

  Provide basic external surgery
• Why was serious surgery dangerous in medieval times?

  Lack of anesthetics and antiseptics
• What was the primary source of healthcare for ordinary people in medieval times?

  Women in the home
• What role did local Wise Women and midwives play in medieval healthcare?

  Provided specialist treatments in the community
• What does the letter from Margaret Paston reveal about physicians?

  They were not trusted by some patients
• What was the first hospital in England created?

  Saint Bartholomew's in 1123
• What was the primary focus of hospitals in medieval times?

  Care rather than cure
• How many hospitals were there in England by 1500?

  1,500 hospitals
• What were Lazar hospitals specifically for?

  Care for leprosy sufferers
• How were leprosy sufferers viewed in medieval society?

  As unclean and punished by God
• What was the role of the church in leper hospitals?

  Often run by monks and nuns
• What did the combination of natural and supernatural treatments reflect in medieval medicine?

  Beliefs about disease and healing
• What was the patron saint of lepers?

  Mary Magdalene
• What was the significance of the map of teleport in relation to leper hospitals?

  It shows the historical location of a leper hospital
• What limited the effectiveness of medieval treatments?

  Treatments often relieved symptoms, not cures
• What was the main takeaway about medieval understanding of disease?

  Divided between supernatural and natural causes
• What are the key features of supernatural treatments in medieval medicine?

  • Prayer to saints
  • Confession of sins
  • Pilgrimages to shrines
  • Use of sacred waters
• What are the key features of natural treatments in medieval medicine?

  • Focus on treating symptoms
  • Use of Hippocratic ideas
  • Balancing humors through bloodletting
  • Herbal remedies and apothecaries
• What roles did hospitals play in medieval healthcare?

  • Provided care rather than cure
  • Operated by monasteries and the church
  • Focused on comfort and hygiene
  • Increased number of hospitals over time
• What were the societal views on leprosy and its treatment in medieval times?

  • Seen as a punishment from God
  • Patients lived in separate communities
  • Care provided by Lazar hospitals
  • Strong religious elements in treatment