medieval medicine

• Hippocrates


  Known as the 'father of modern medicine'.
• Hippocratic Oath


  Doctors promise to treat patients and maintain confidentiality.
• Four Humours


  Blood, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile affect health.
• Clinical Observation


  Focus on patient rather than just illness.
• Hippocratic Corpus


  Collection of Hippocrates' medical writings.
• Galen


  Roman doctor who advanced medical knowledge in AD129.
• Theory of Opposites


  Treatment method using the four humours concept.
• Animal Dissection


  Galen's method for studying human anatomy.
• Blood Circulation Misconception

  Galen incorrectly believed blood passed through heart septum.
• Jaw Bone Error


  Galen claimed human jaw is two separate bones.
• Natural Treatments


  Cures based on observation and natural remedies.
• Supernatural Treatments


  Included prayer, astrology, and trepanning.
• Bloodletting


  Treatment for excess blood based on humour theory.
• Purging


  Cleansing the body to restore humour balance.
• Herbal Remedies


  Natural treatments using plants and herbs.
• Monasteries


  Provided care and treatment based on prayer.
• Wise Women


  Local herbalists using traditional remedies.
• Private Physicians


  Wealthy individuals hired trained doctors.
• Catholic Church Influence


  Controlled medical education and healthcare in medieval times.
• Infirmaries


  Church-run facilities for patient care.
• Germ Theory


  Developed in 1861, revolutionized understanding of disease.
• Louis Pasteur


  Pioneer of germ theory in the 19th century.
• Robert Koch


  Expanded germ theory, enhancing medical knowledge.
• The Church's Role


  Controlled university teachings and medical practices.
• Galen's Influence


  Ideas continued to dominate medical understanding.
• Monastic Healthcare


  Free medical care provided by monks in monasteries.
• Prayer for Healing


  Illness treated through prayer, not just medicine.
• Debate on Church's Impact


  Historians argue Church helped or hindered medicine.
• Preservation of Ancient Texts

  Monks copied works of Galen and Hippocrates.
• Islamic Medical Advances


  New discoveries flourished in Islamic kingdoms.
• Al-Razi's Contributions


  Planned first general hospital in Baghdad, AD 805.
• Hospital Planning


  Built near areas where meat rotted slowly.
• Smallpox vs. Measles


  Al-Razi differentiated between these two diseases.
• Ibn Sina's Canon


  The Canon of Medicine explored anatomy and treatments.
• Natural Treatments

  Ibn Sina encouraged treatments based on natural causes.
• Crusades Impact


  Doctors learned new ideas from Islamic kingdoms.
• Surgical Progress

  Wars provided opportunities for surgical experimentation.
• Trepanning Procedure


  Cutting skull to release 'bad spirits'.
• Survival Rates


  Some patients survived trepanning, evidenced by skulls.
• Charity in Islam


  Muslims funded hospitals through charitable donations.