beliefs about the treatment/prevention of disease

• some treatments in the medieval period was religious and supernatural, bleeding, purging, remedies
• some preventions of disease were religious and supernatural, hygiene, diet and purifying the air
• one treatment of disease in the medieval period was religious and supernatural cures. this included praying to god to help with illness and apologies for any sins that may have caused god to send them the illness/disease. some people even whipped themselves to show god they were sorry for their sins. people also went on pilgrimages to tombs of people noted for their healing powers. the 'king's touch' was also said to have supernatural healing powers and people used charms or amulets to heal their illness.
• another form of treatment was bleeding. this involved removing blood from the body to balance the humours. bleeding was where leeches were placed on the skin to draw blood out or cutting a vein or cupping.
• a form of treatment was purging which involved emptying the digestive system to remove leftover food to balance the humours. laxatives were very common e.g. fried linseeds or people were given something to make them vomit e.g. aniseed.
• another treatment was remedies which involved warm baths to help the body draw in heat and dissolve blockages in the humours. herbal infusions to drink, sniff or bathe in e.g. aloe vera. superstitious remedies were also used e.g. boiling a fox in water and bathing in it so the quick and nimble properties of the fox would be transferred to a paralysed patient.
• one prevention to disease was religious and supernatural preventions. this included leading a sin-free life by regularly praying, confessions and offering tithes(money) to the church to ensure sins were forgotten.
• another prevention of disease was hygiene. this included people following the regimen sanitatis which was written in the work of Hippocrates and Galen. there was a list of ways to stay healthy e.g take moderate exercise and avoid stress. people were also encouraged to bathe where possible e.g private hot water baths for the wealthy or public baths.
• diet was also a prevention of disease and it was important in preventing an imbalance of the four humours e.g eating too much was strongly discouraged. people also purged themselves to prevent digestive problems as they were scared of illnesses like dysentery.
• purifying the air was another prevention to disease. to purify the air people spread sweet smelling herbs e.g lavender. herbs could be carried inside a decorative piece of jewellery called a pomander which was a large locket. the local authorities also used measures to keep towns clean e.g no rotting animals left in the street and clean public toilets.
• most medieval care was at home and hospitals. the vast majority of people were cared for at home and it was expected that women would care for their relatives. this involved making the patient comfortable, preparing food and herbal remedies. there was little to no expert medical care.
• in the 11th century the first wave of hospitals appeared mainly in or near monasteries. hospitals mostly cared for older people who could no longer look after themselves. they were run by nuns and monks who provided food, warmth and prayers for patients. hospitals rarely admitted actual sick people in case they spread infection. they were kept very clean and patients often shared beds.
• in the 13th century a second group of hospitals appeared. they were smaller and were usually founded by guilds and wealthy townspeople. these hospitals cared for local citizens who could no longer look after themselves. by 1400 there were over 500 hospitals but many with only 5 or 6 beds.
• by 1500 there were about 1100 hospitals ranging in size from a few beds to hundreds