chapter 1: medieval - middle ages Flashcards
hippocrates, galen, causes & treatments of illness, influence of the church, islamic medicine, surgery, public health, monasteries, the black death
what theory did hippocrates come up with?
theory of the four humours
what was the theory of the four humours?
the theory that the body consisted of four humours (blood, black & yellow bile, phlegm) and that they had to be balances for good health
how far did the theory of the four humours influence medicine?
- influenced medicine until the 1800s
- led to the treatment method of bleeding (opening a vein or applying leeches to draw blood to balance the humours)
- his books were also significant as they provided the first detailed accounts of symptoms and treatments
what theory did galen come up with?
the theory of opposites
what was the the theory of opposites?
the theory that illness could be treated by balancing the humours e.g. if u had a cold, you should eat hot/spicy foods
what did galen do to learn about human anatomy and what mistake did he make?
- he dissected animals
- he said the jaw bone was two separate bones, however it is actually one
why were galen’s mistakes accepted by the church?
galen also stated that the human body was perfect which supported the theory that god designed humans
what were the believed causes of illnesses at that time?
- god’s punishment
- four humours
- astrology
why were the true causes of illness unknown?
doctors lacked the scientific knowledge required to understand causes of disease
what medical training did doctors receive at the time?
they were told to read church approved texts such as galen or just trust that it was god’s plan
what supernatural treatments were used at the time?
- trusting god
- prayer
- astrology
- trepanning (hole in the skull to release demons)
what natural treatments were used at the time?
- bloodletting
- purging
- herbal remedies
what is an example of people trusting the four humours to “treat themselves”?
if someone had a nosebleed, it was believed they had too much blood and needed to get rid of some
what did the church control in medicine?
how doctors trained and how people received or gave treatment
in what ways did the church help medicine?
- opened medical schools where doctors trained
- one of the only sources of help for the sick
in what ways did the church hinder medicine?
- limited the ability of doctors to challenge ideas of ancient doctors so no new developments could be made
- treatments were based on the belief of god
- dissection was banned so doctors couldn’t learn practically
was islamic medicine more or less advanced than british medicine?
more advanced
what did the islam faith encourage?
encouraged muslim doctors to develop new ideas and treatments
what was the main thing al-razi did?
discovered the difference between smallpox and measles
how many books did al-razi write and what were they used for?
over 200, they were used to teach in universities in europe
what did al-razi emphasise the importance of?
observation & seeking natural causes
what was the main thing ibn sina did?
discovered anorexia and obesity
what was the book that ibn sina wrote called?
‘the canon of medicine’
what was the canon of medicine about?
explored ideas of anatomy & human development and encouraged natural treatments
