Medicine

• The Church and religious beliefs had a great influence over medicine during this period, leading to a continuation of ideas about cause, preventions and treatments
• Medieval England was a religious society. The majority of people followed the teachings of the Catholic Church and attended services regularly
• The cause of disease and illness was unknown due to the lack of scientific knowledge
• The majority of people in medieval England could not read or write and would learn from what they heard in church about the causes of illness and disease
• The Church controlled education and the universities, where physicians were trained
• Supernatural explanation

  Astrology, the alignment of the planets and stars, was used when diagnosing illness
• Religious explanations

  The Church taught that people's sins were to blame for their illnesses and that illness and disease were sent as a punishment from God
• When people recovered, the Church declared that this was thanks to the patient's prayers
• The Church also taught that disease was sent by God to cleanse the soul of sin or to test your faith
• Rational explanations

  Theory of the Four Humours
• The Theory of the Four Humours was developed in Ancient Greece by Hippocrates and continued to influence medical ideas in medieval England
• This theory suggested that the body was made up of four liquids (humours) - blood, phlegm, black and yellow bile- and an imbalance of these substances caused illness and disease
• It was believed that an equal balance of the humours led to good health
• Miasma Theory

  Bad air that was believed to be harmful
• In medieval England it was believed that bad air and smells contained poisonous fumes that caused disease and illness
• Medieval beliefs suggested that any rotting matter could transmit disease
• Galen

  A physician in Ancient Rome who extended the Theory of the Four Humours by suggesting that the humours should be rebalanced by using the Theory of Opposites
• Galen also believed in the idea of the soul, which fitted with the teachings of the Church. This led to the Church promoting the ideas of Galen, and doctors widely using the Theory of the Four Humours, throughout the period c.1250-c.1500
• Diagnosis

  Identifying the nature of an illness after considering the different symptoms
• Miasma

  Smells from decomposing material were believed to cause disease
• Physician

  A person qualified to practise medicine
• Rational

  An idea based on logic
• Supernatural

  Ideas unable to be explained by science or the laws of nature
• Galen

  A doctor in Ancient Rome. Galen had his ideas recorded in more than 350 books
• Hippocrates

  A leading physician from Ancient Greece. Hippocrates created the Theory of the Four Humours after carefully observing and recording the symptoms of his patients
• Approaches to prevention and treatment

  • Supernatural and religious
  • Rational
• Supernatural and religious approaches

  • Healing prayers
  • Fasting
  • Lighting candles in church
  • Flagellation
  • Going on pilgrimages
• Star charts

  • Used to prescribe treatments
  • Consulted at every stage of a patient's treatment
• Rational approaches

  • Bloodletting
  • Purging
  • Herbal remedies
• Bloodletting

  1. Cutting the vein

  2. Placing leeches on the skin

  3. Cupping
• The Church

  It was very influential during the Middle Ages and religion was used to explain the causes of illness
• Purging

  • Given something to make them vomit (an emetic)
  • Given a laxative to clear out the body
• Emetics

  • Aniseed
  • Parsley
• Laxatives

  • Linseeds
• Herbal remedies

  • Aloe vera
  • Mint
  • Camomile
• Prevention of illness

  • Exercising
  • Sleeping
  • Keeping clean
  • Breathing clean air
  • Avoiding stress
• Regimen sanitatis

  A set of instructions provided by physicians to help a patient look after their health and avoid illness
• Purifying the air

  • Spreading sweet herbs
  • Carrying flowers (a posy)
• Physician

  • Attended a university for at least seven years to gain a medical degree
  • Diagnosed illness and suggested a treatment
  • Studied a patient's blood and urine and consulted star charts to diagnose illness
  • Rarely treated patients
• Apothecary

  Mixed herbal remedies