Why was the average age of death of British males low in the medieval times and 17th Century?
Because of warfare
What were common remedies made from?
Herbs, plants, minerals, and animal parts
Why did some cures work, even though they did not understand why?
The ingredients included chemicals which acted as antiseptics to combat infections or as anaesthetics
What were cuts and wounds treated with?
Plants
What were broken bones treated with?
Covered in clay or mud and then set
What were fever, pain and chills all treated with?
Steam
What were illnesses and injuries believed to be caused by?
Gods, spirits, the dead, or their enemies
What was trephining?
Drilling a hole in a patient’s head (when they have a headache), to let out the spirits
What would the medicine man do?
Give people charms to protect them from evil spirits, as well as prayers an chants and some also carried out trephining
What are the main ‘factors’?
War, individuals, superstition and religion, education, trade and communication, government, chance, science and technology
What are the 4 humours?
Blood, phlegm, yellow bile (vomit), black bile (poo)
Who encouraged doctors to observe symptoms and to look for causes based on those symptoms?
Hippocrates
Who was Hippocrates?
The ‘father’ of modern medicine
What are the 4 elements?
Air, Fire, Earth, Water
What season and element was blood related to?
Air —> spring —> blood
What season and element was yellow bile related to?
Fire —> summer —> yellow bile
What season and element was black bile related to?
Earth —> autumn —> black bile
What season and element was phlegm related to?
Water —> winter —> phlegm
If someone had a cold (using the opposites theory) what would the cure be?
Hot bath + pepper
If someone was ill in the spring (using the opposites theory) what would the cure be?
Let blood (leeches) or eat something cool
What did Galen prove?
~ the brain, not the heart, controlled speech
~ the arteries, and not just the veins, carried blood around the body
Who created the opposites theory?
Galen
Why was Galen accepted by the Church?
He didn’t go against religion - he taught that the body had been created by one god, who made all the parts of the body fit together perfectly and he referred to the ‘creator’
Who was around during the Ancient Greek times?
Hippocrates
Who was around in the Roman Empire?
Galen
What did the Roman’s realise?
That dirt = disease
What is the biggest change for the medieval times to modern?
We have understanding of diseases
What would be found in a medieval doctor’s bag?
Willow bark, urine chart, astrological chart, honey, cobwebs, moss, snails, leeches
What would the willow bark be used for?
To dull pain and reduce fever anti-inflammatory
What would the urine and astrological charts be used for?
Work out what was wrong and decide the right time to operate on a particular body part
Why would the honey be used?
Antibiotic properties
What would the cobwebs be used for?
To stop bleeding by packing wounds with them
What would moss be used for?
Dried moss absorbs fluid and has antibiotic properties
What would snails be used for?
Snail slime contains antioxidants, antiseptics, anaesthetics, anti-inflammatory etc
What would leeches be used for?
To let blood
Medieval Physicians
~ today = doctor
~ only very wealthy would use them
~ would have received an education at one of the universities
Medieval Surgeons
~ inferior to physicians
~ weren’t seen as proper doctors
~ similar reputation to barbers
~ belonged to Company of Barber Surgeons
Medieval Barbers
~ inferior to surgeons
~ weren’t seen as proper doctors
~ belonged to Company of Barber Surgeons
~ only allowed to perform minor operations (eg. Pull teeth, let blood)
Medieval Apothecary
~ today = chemist / pharmacist
~ usual route to visit
~ belonged to Grocer’s Guild (professional body)
~ sold sweets, cosmetics, perfumes, drugs
Medieval ‘Wise Woman’
~ local
~ often first person contacted by poor people
~ used various herbs to produce home made medicines and potions
Who set up and ran their own hospitals?
Monks and nuns
Where were universities and hospitals usually situated?
Attached to the Church
Why were the doctors usually monks and nuns?
They were the few people who were educated