History

• Who was Hippocrates? An Ancient Greek physician, who came up with the theory of the Four Humours, as well as the Hippocratic Oath - Doctors should work for the benefit of the patient
• Who was Galen? An Ancient Roman physician, who expanded on Hippocrates' Four Humours, with his Theory Of Opposites
• What was the Theory of the Four Humours? It stated that the body was made up of four elements ('humours') - blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile - which must be balanced in the body. It was believed that illness was caused by these humours being out of balance.
• What was the Theory of Opposites? It suggested that humours could be rebalanced by applying the opposite e.g. someone with too much phlegm (cold) could be treated by eating something hot, like a pepper, as each humour was linked to a season, personality trait, and a star sign.
• What were the ideas about causes of disease in medieval times? -Religious Explanations: Punishment from God -Astrology -Miasma -The Four Humours
• Why did Galen and Hippocrates have such a big influence? -Influence of the Church (ideas were promoted) -Importance of book learning -Lack of alternatives: Dissections mostly illegal, printing press initial small impact
• What types of treatments were there in the medieval era? -Religious treatments -Supernatural treatments -Humoural treatments -Remedies -Hospitals -Medics
• What religious treatments were there? (4) -Praying -Fasting -Pilgrimages -Paying for a Catholic church service
• What supernatural treatments were there? (3) -Charms and amulets -Chanting incantations(spells or charms) -Astrology: carrying out operations depending on stars
• What humoural treatments were there? (4) -Phlebotomy (blood-letting) -Purging: emetics or laxatives -Examining urine -Theory of Opposites
• What different ways of blood-letting were there? -Cupping -Cutting a vein -Using leeches
• What were herbal remedies? A mixture of typically aloe vera, mint and saffron to drink, sniff or bathe in order to help balance the humours
• What was a therica? A type of spice-based herbal remedy, containing many different ingredients, and used for many different illnesses
• What would bathing do? Bathing was supposed to daw in heat and help clear blockages in the humours. Plants and herbs were often added to the water
• How were hospitals run in the medieval period? Mostly owned and run by the Church in monasteries, or funded by endowment, with many being concentrated on hospitality, rather than treating any illness. They were generally clean and a good place to rest. Infectious patients were often rejected
• What 3 medics were there? -Physicians -Barber surgeons -Apothecaries
• What did physicians do? Diagnosed illness but never treated it. They were very expensive and trained at university, learning the works of Galen out of books.
• What did barber surgeons do? Carried out small operations, such as bloodletting. Knowledge was based on experience, unlike a physician
• What were apothecaries? They mixed herbal remedies, and were disliked by physicians because they were cheaper, and sometimes gave poison, which goes against the Hippocratic Oath
• What approaches to prevention were there in the medieval times? -Religious approach -Lifestyle -Purifying the air
• What religious approaches to prevent disease were taken? -Regular Prayer -Confessions -Othering tithes, a sum of money paid to the church
• What lifestyle measures were taken to prevent illness? -Regimen Sanitatis -Bathing, public baths called stewes -Regular purging
• How did people attempt to purify the air? -Carrying sweet herbs -Keeping towns clean (government action), fined those who left rubbish out -Fumigation
• When was the Black Death? 1348
• What was the Black Death? A plague spread by fleas that caused painful buboes
• How many died to the Black Death? A third of England's population, as most victims died within several days of contracting it
• How was the Black Death dealt with? BAD; people applied the same knowledge that they had always had about illness, which was mainly wrong
• What were the main beliefs about causes of the Black Death? -Religious and supernatural: punishment from God and an unusual alignment of planets in 1345 -Miasma, the main belief
• What treatments were there for the Black Death? -Religious and supernatural: praying and confessing -Humoural treatments -Purifying the air -Herbal remedies
• How did people try to prevent contracting the Black Death? -Religious and supernatural: going on pilgrimages, self-flagellation (whipping themselves) -Purifying the air -Running away from towns -Doing joyful things (recommended by physicians) -Government action: quarantine laws
• What was the Kiel Mutiny? -Sailors at Kiel refused attack British Navy, leading to unrest spreading across Germany
• When was the Kiel Mutiny? 29th October 1918
• Why did the German Revolution of 1918-19 happen? -Many were angry at Kaiser for failures -German defeat was imminent, soldiers were unhappy -Influenced by October Revolution, and Kiel Mutiny -Food shortages caused by allied blockades
• When did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate? 9th November 1918
• Who was given power after Wilhelm's abdication? Friedrich Ebert from SPD, who becomes Chancellor of Weimar Republic
• When did Ebert sign the armistace? 11th November 1918
• What were the Fourteen Points? -Set of principles by President Wilson as a basis for peace talks, accepted by Ebert at the signing of the armistice
• What impact did the First World War have on Germany? -Mass starvation -Financial Problems -7 million deaths -New government -Social unrest
• When were there elections for a Constituent Assembly? 19th January 1919
• Who did the Assembly chose to be the new president? Friedrich Ebert of the SPD