Medieval (c.1250-1450)

• What did medieval people believe caused disease?

  Miasma, God/sinning, astrology, and the 4 humours
• How did medieval people attempt to prevent disease?

  Through prayer, charms, and visiting shrines
• What method did medieval people use to eliminate miasma during the Black Death?

  Lighting fires
• What extreme measure did some medieval people resort to during the Black Death?

  Self-flagellation
• What laws were enacted during the Black Death of 1348?

  Quarantine laws
• What role did the church play in medical progress during the medieval era?

  It held back medical progress
• Who were barber surgeons in the medieval era?

  Common medical practitioners with little training
• What types of treatments did barber surgeons provide?

  Basic treatments like blood-letting and purging
• Who provided herbal treatments in the medieval era?

  Wise women and apothecaries
• Who could afford physicians in the medieval era?

  Only the wealthy
• How did physicians in the medieval era approach diagnosis?

  They did not practice observation
• What methods did physicians use for diagnosis?

  Astrology, urine charts, and star charts
• What type of care did church hospitals provide?

  Care, not cure
• What was the belief in transference during the medieval era?

  Illness could be transferred by rubbing
• What was the estimated death toll of the Black Death in 1348?

  1/3 of Europe’s population
• What were the main theories about disease during the Black Death?

  Religion, miasma, and the 4 humours
• Who created the theory of the 4 humours?

  Hippocrates
• What contributions did Galen make to medicine?


  Prominent in anatomy and theory of opposites
• What was a common practice in medicine during the medieval era?

  Reliance on prayer and the 4 humours
• Who did most people rely on for medical care in the medieval era?

  Local women, barber surgeons, and clergy