medieval healers

• Physician


  What today we'd probably call a doctor
• Physicians


  • There were only around 100 in all of England
  • They were all men
  • They were trained at University Medical School for seven years
  • They learned the works of ancient doctors like Hippocrates and Galen, as well as Islamic doctors like Ibn Sina and Al-Razi
  • They were banned from dissection and training, so they knew very little about the human body and anatomy
  • They carried a vade mecum, a handbook of diagnosis
  • They used the four humors, urine charts, and astrology in diagnosis and treatment
  • They used clinical observation and occasionally took the pulse and examined the whole body
  • They were very expensive, only the very richest could afford them
  • They were typically found in towns and cities
• Four humors


  The ancient ideas of Hippocrates and Galen about the four bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile)
• Bloodletting


  Using cuts and leeches to encourage good health
• Apothecary


  • Trained in herbs and medicines, but had no actual medical qualifications
  • Similar to a modern pharmacist or chemist, but without the same skills and qualifications
  • Mixed various ingredients to produce medicines for physicians, and made up their own mixtures for a price
  • Cheaper than consulting a physician, so more accessible to ordinary people
  • Most common in towns and cities rather than villages
• Barber surgeon


  • Not trained or respected by physicians, but had lots of experience
  • Could do basic surgery like pulling teeth, bloodletting, and removing some tumors
  • Also provided hair and beard trims
  • Surgery had a very low success rate, around 50% at best for amputations
  • Cheapest surgery available, mostly found in towns
• Wise woman


  • Could train to be a midwife with a bishop's permission
  • Could also qualify as a surgeon, but not as a physician or attend university
  • Rich or poor, often helped with childbirth as a local midwife
  • Used some herbal remedies and possibly charms and spells, risking accusations of witchcraft
• Quacks


  • Became more prominent in the Renaissance than the early modern period
  • Offered all sorts of cure-all remedies or panaceas, usually useless or just common herbal medicines
  • Untrained and unqualified, but cheaper than a physician
  • Had a bad reputation for ripping people off and moving on
• Medieval people had options of who to see if they became sick, but paying for treatment did not necessarily make it more effective