Medicine in Medieval England c.1250-c.1500

Question 1

what sort of society did England primarily have?

Answer 1

a very religious society

Question 2

who had a great influence over people’s lives?

Answer 2

The Church

Question 3

what religion did most people follow?

Answer 3

Christianity

Question 4

people believed that God did what for a punishment?

Answer 4

as a punishment for sin, people believed that God sent disease and illness

Question 5

what was a second popular belief that disease was caused by?

Answer 5

Astrology

Question 6

how would a physician use astrology to diagnose a patient?

Answer 6

they would look at when the patient was born, and determine the illness they had from there

Question 7

after what major event did astrology become even more popular?

Answer 7

The Black Death - people wanted to find the cause to be able to explain what happened

Question 8

The Church’s medical teachings used the ideas of which two ancient physicians?

Answer 8

Hippocrates and Galen

Question 9

why were physicians discouraged from challenging the ideas?

Answer 9

the Ancient Greek’s ideas fitted in with the Bible’s teachings

Question 10

who made the Four Humours Theory?

Answer 10

Hippocrates

Question 11

what did the four humours theory state?

Answer 11

it stated that the body was made up of four humours;
-Yellow Bile -Blood
-Black Bile -Phlegm

Question 12

how was the four humours used to treat disease?

Answer 12

if any of the humours were out of balance, it was believed to have caused disease

Question 13

how would the four humours be balanced?

Answer 13

Blood - Bloodletting Y&B Bile- Vomiting
Phlegm - Coughing or sneezing

Question 14

who created the Theory of Opposites?

Answer 14

Galen

Question 15

what did the Theory of Opposites state?

Answer 15

if a patient was hot, their illness could be treated by giving them something cold

Question 16

did the Theory of Opposites align with The Church’s teachings?

Answer 16

Yes - Galen believed in the soul

Question 17

what was the miasma theory?

Answer 17

it was the belief that bad smelling air caused disease

Question 18

what did people religiously believe about miasma?

Answer 18

they thought that the air had been poisoned by God, as he caused all diseases

Question 19

what are examples of ways that people would use to prevent themselves from disease?

Answer 19

-flagellation
-fasting
-pilgrimages

Question 20

why would people fast to prevent disease?

Answer 20

to show how sorry they were for their sins

Question 21

what is a flagellant?

Answer 21

someone who would whip themselves in public, and asked God to forgive their sins

Question 22

what is a pilgrimage?

Answer 22

a journey which has religious or spiritual significance, usually to an important religious place.

Question 23

how would people try to avoid miasma?

Answer 23

-carrying posies
-ringing bells
-burning herbs to clean the air

Question 24

who were barber surgeons?

Answer 24

they carried out basic surgeries such as bloodletting, sewing wounds, and removing growths outside the body

Question 25

were the barber surgeons useful?

Answer 25

No - they had learned all their skills from reading books and watching other carry out the surgery, making them unprepared an unskilled

Question 26

who were 'wise women'?

Answer 26

women who were seen to be very knowledgeable about certain treatments and remedies

Question 27

what did herbal treatments include?

Answer 27

they were remedies mixed together using multiple substances. E.G. they would treat infections if successful

Question 28

who were apothecaries?

Answer 28

a person, who the community would visit often, to help treat illnesses

Question 29

what did apothecaries do?

Answer 29

apothecaries mixed together the ingredients for herbal treatments. they also did this with physicians as they sold their remedies

Question 30

who were hospitals run by?

Answer 30

The Church

Question 31

why was it important that Hospitals were run by The Church?

Answer 31

the were popular and often highly regarded by many

Question 32

what did hospitals provide in Medieval England

Answer 32

they provided care - not cures

Question 33

how were people cared for in these hospitals?

Answer 33

they were often given herbal remedies made by monks who had books on them

Question 34

who was Roger Bacon?

Answer 34

a man who challenged the Church and Galen who therefore was imprisoned

Question 35

when was The Black Death and what era was it in?

Answer 35

1348-49, Medieval

Question 36

what was the death rate of the Bubonic Plague and how was it spread?

Answer 36

40% and was spread by fleas on rats

Question 37

what was the death rate of the Pneumonic Plague and how was it spread?

Answer 37

100% spread by coughs and sneezes

Question 38

what three things did people believe caused The Black Death?

Answer 38

-miasma -unbalanced humours -punishment for sin

Question 39

what were three treatments used to try and cure the Black Death?

Answer 39

-bursting buboes -rubbing a live chicken on buboes (“Vicary Method”) -various herbal remedies

Question 40

what were three preventions to try to stop catching the Black Death?

Answer 40

-flagellation (whip themselves) -avoid bathing (believed it would open pores) -quarantine (government lacked power to enforce this)

Question 41

what was trepanning and when was it most commonly used?

Answer 41

hole cut in the top of someone’s head to release evil spirits - mostly in the Medieval era

Question 42

what natural anaesthetic was used in both Medieval and Renaissance eras?

Answer 42

Hemlock

Question 43

what natural antiseptic was used in both Medieval and Renaissance eras?

Answer 43

Honey

Question 44

how was Thomas Syndenham different to Medieval Doctors?

Answer 44

-opposed Hippocrates and Galen -refused to rely on medical books -believed disease came from outside the body rather than the humours