Causes of disease and illness

• Causes of illness and disease

  Religious explanations:

  since there was no formal education, people learnt from the church, which taught that disease was punishment from god for those who had committed sin or a test of faith from the devil.
• Causes of illness and disease

  Astrology:

  astrology was the study of the alignment of stars and planets. during diagnosis, physicians would consider when a patient was born, when they fell ill, and their star chart. the church disliked the use of astrology but began to accept it after it became widely popularised during the black death. since it was believed that god controlled everything, it could be argued that the influence of astrology was also, by extension, the influence of god.
• Causes of illness and disease

  Miasma:

  miasma was bad air that was believed to be filled with harmful fumes. both hippocrates and galen had written about miasma, which they said came from swamps and rotting matter (corpses).
• Causes of illness and disease

  Four humours:

  the theory of the four humours, created by hippocrates, said that the body was made up of four elements - yellow bile, black pile, phlegm, and blood - which must be balanced in the body. it was believed that illness was caused by the humours being out of balance. galen also made the theory of opposites, which suggested that the humours could be rebalanced by applying the opposite.
• Causes of illness and disease

  Hippocrates and Galen’s influence:

  galen's ideas were promoted by the church because he believed in a soul, which fit into their catholic beliefs. since the church controlled education and books, they ensured that hippocrates and galen's theories were taught. being able to read was uncommon so a good physician was considered to be widely read, instead of experienced. a physician who wasn't well-versed on hippocrates and galen would have struggled to find work. there was also little scientific evidence to reject the theories; dissections were illegal because the church said that bodies must remain whole for the soul to go to heaven. dissections of criminals were occasionally allowed, but if anything was found that disagreed with galen's teachings, it could simply be explained by the body of a criminal being imperfect.