Religious Impact

• How did Christianity impact medicine?

  • belief that God sent illnesses as a punishment
  • treatments included prayer, pilgrimage
  • supported old ideas, discouraged new discoveries
  • people were illiterate, Church was only source of education
• How did Islam impact medicine?

  • dominant religion in Middle East
  • promoted science, learning and medicine
  • aimed to treat patients, not just care for them
  • Ibn Sina wrote 'Canon of Medicine' which became standard textbook in Europe
  • hospitals called bimaristans provided free care to all