health and the people - middle ages Flashcards
definition of antibiotics
a group of drugs used to cure and treat infections caused by bacteria
definition of antiseptics
chemicals used to destroy bacteria and prevent infections
definition of anaesthetics
a drug given to produce unconsciousness before and during surgery. a substance that reduces pain
natural medieval treatments for diseases
clinical observation - checking the pulse and urine
the four humours
supernatural medieval treatments for diseases
position of the stars
prayers
charms
natural medieval beliefs about the causes of illness,
bad smells/air
childbirth
warfare
famine
supernatural medieval beliefs about the causes of illness
God
sinful lifestyles
witchcraft
four humours out of balance`
Hippocrates work and ideas
Hippocratic oath
Hippocratic collection
theory of the four humours
observation and recording
what is the Hippocratic oath
doctors swear an oath to maintain high standards and work for the benefit of their patient
what is the Hippocratic collection
a collection of over 600 books describing how to treat different illnesses and diseases
theory of the four hunmours
the theory you were ill when your humour were out of balance - yellow bile, black bile, phlegm, blood
observation and recording
doctors writing down everything about their patient and observing them to see what is wrong and to identify the correct cure instead of guessing
what did Galen do
introduced theory of opposites
believed that for illness there had to be one maker - God
discovered the brain controls speech
used treatments such as bleeding and vomiting
wrote books
barber surgeons
did minor surgeries, bloodletting and were taught through experience
wise woman
gave first aid, herbal remedies, charms and spells based on tradition
herbalist in monasteries
used herbal treatments, prayer, bloodletting, used ancient knowledge from books
trained doctors
taught based on Hippocrates and Galen’s work in British textbooks and Islamic texts
public health in the middle ages
no sewage system or fresh water supply - garbage and human waste thrown onto streets
cesspits removed annually by gong farmers
houses overhung streets - cutting out light and air
rivers were breeding grounds for disease
people only bathed 4 times a year
why were monasteries healthier
in isolated places
monks had religious routines of cleanliness to keep them healthy
wealthy - able to build good sanitation facilities
access to medical books - learnt basic principles of good sanitation was to separate wastewater from clean water
what did Vesalius do
1514-64
professor in surgery at Padua university
wrote The Fabric of the Human Body in 1543
proved Galen wrong - e.g. jawbone was one part not two. human kidney’s not located on top of each other
what did William Harvey do
1578-1657
dissected animals and humans, keeping detailed notes on what he found on his experiments
proved that the heart pumps blood in one direction around the body
showed that blood passes through the heart via the septum and that the arteries take blood away from the heart and the veins bring it back to it
what did Pare do
1510-90
French barber surgeon who worked in the army and for royalty
new method for cauterising wounds - egg yolk, turpentine and rose oil
used silk ligatures to stop bleeding
designed prosthetic limbs for wounded soldiers
inoculation
purposefully infecting someone with a disease in a controlled way to create immunity
vaccination
giving weakened strands of a disease to a healthy person to trigger immunity
how does inoculation work
doctors scratched pus from smallpox victims onto a healthy persons skin to give them a mild dose and help them build up resistance
Robert and Daniel Sutton
1760’s - invented a new way of inoculation. a tiny stab through the skin with a surgical knife. however, only the rich could afford it
problems with inoculation
religious objectors who still thought God sent illness as a punishment
people didn’t understand how giving a small amount of a disease prevented a bigger disease
some people died from it
inoculated people can still pass on infection
expensive
what did Edward Jenner do
created a vaccine for smallpox - injected pus from sores of milkmaids into people. when they recover from cowpox, they are immune to small pox.
1798 - published his book ‘an inquiry into the causes and effects of the varioque vaccine, or cow-pox’
1853 - made compulsory due to the high infant mortality rate
key people in the renaissance
Vesalius
William Harvey
Pare
Edward Jenner
what did Al Razi do
wrote over 200 books
most important book of the collection ‘the comprehensive book of medicine’ collection of medical notes, extracts from readings and observations from medical experiences - major influence on the development of medical practice
what did Ibn Sina do
wrote a medical encyclopaedia of medicine surveying the entire medical knowledge available from sources.
what did Thomas Sydenham do
known as English Hippocrates due to belief in observation and recordings
discovered each disease is different and it is important to identify the exact disease for the correct remedy
his book ‘observationes medicae’ was standard textbook for doctors for 2 centuries
what did John Hunter do
1728-93
served as an army surgeon during 7 year war - dealt with gunshot wounds and amputations
known as the ‘father of scientific surgery’
used observation techniques and then recorded his findings
promoted amputations as a last resort
had a developed understanding of the human body
burking - stole dead bodies from graves for his brothers medical school
had a collection of over 600 preserved body parts, diseases, dead embryos etc…
what is cauterising
using a red hot iron to seal blood vessels
when was the black death
1347-49
