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People in the middle ages knew very little about the real causes of disease. Education was not widely available, most people were poor and could not read. The technology was not as developed so people could not see bacteria or know that certain things caused disease, like dirty water and other things prevented it like sanitation.
Therefore, many people believed in other reasons for the cause of disease:
Therefore, many people believed in other reasons for the cause of disease:
THE THEORY OF THE FOUR HUMOURS
- The theory is as simple as: if any of the humours were out of balance (too much or too little of one of them) then you would become ill!
- If you were COLD AND WET: You had too much phlegm.
- If you were HOT AND WET: too much blood! (cucumber was a solution to this)…
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Medieval people had very poor knowledge of what caused disease: this is why their treatments were so poor! There were basically just 3 explanations:
1. RELIGIOUS EXPLANATIONS: The Church taught that disease was a punishment from God for sinners. Many priests said that those people deserved to be sick! The only way to heal? Pray to God for forgiveness and he might have mercy... Everyone went to church but not that many went to school: so most people fully believed this!
2. ASTROLOGY: This was a superstitious idea. People said that if the planets were out of line, then you would get sick. Even Hippocrates believed in this! The solution: The doctor would find out your birthday and the time that you got sick. Using this, he would plan a way to heal at specific times of year... For example: If the Sun was not in the right place, this could cause heart and spine disorders.. If the planet Mercury was in the wrong place, you might become insane.. TASK: Try to find out which planet would cause digestive problems from the LINK |
3. MIASMA (Bad air):
Maybe the most sensible of the 3 explanations? This was about bad air. Don't forget that COVID-19 is airborne! The idea here was that bad air was caused by rotting things such as human and animal flesh, but also swamps. Remember too that bad smells were often caused by decay ; sewage, dirty water - therefore they would indeed have been a cause of disease - but it was the germs associated with this not the smells themselves. Bad smells were also associated with religious sin.. |
TASK: Watch this video from 2.45 to the end and answer these questions in your exercise books!
1. Who was Galen? 2. Why did the church like the theory of the four humours? 3. Why did the monarchy refuse to get involved in improving public health? 4. Why did the Black Death spread so much? 5. What treatments were used for the Black Death? |
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Many of the medieval disease prevention methods actually made a lot of sense: we still use a lot of them today.
1. HOUSEHOLD HYGIENE: Medieval households were generally kept quite clean, when possible. They used sweet smelling flowers and herbs to keep miasma out of the home.
2. PERSONAL HYGIENE: People generally washed their hands before and after meals. Allow most people could not afford a bath, they used public baths most days. This meant they were generally quite clean.
3. CITY HYGIENE: It would have been the mayor's job to look after public health. Sadly, the Kings and the government generally felt public health was beneath them! Places like London had terrible hygiene: Houses were built too close together, the river Thames was used to dump things, there were rats everywhere and the water was not very healthy. Some cities and towns took this more seriously however.
1. HOUSEHOLD HYGIENE: Medieval households were generally kept quite clean, when possible. They used sweet smelling flowers and herbs to keep miasma out of the home.
2. PERSONAL HYGIENE: People generally washed their hands before and after meals. Allow most people could not afford a bath, they used public baths most days. This meant they were generally quite clean.
3. CITY HYGIENE: It would have been the mayor's job to look after public health. Sadly, the Kings and the government generally felt public health was beneath them! Places like London had terrible hygiene: Houses were built too close together, the river Thames was used to dump things, there were rats everywhere and the water was not very healthy. Some cities and towns took this more seriously however.
4. DIET AND EXERCISE: People were told by doctors not to overeat. They were told to eat lots of fruit and vegetables. They were told to make time for exercise not unlike today.
Wealthy people might have a physician who would give them a REGIMEN SANITAS: This is basically a list of things they need to do to stay healthy: for example 'walk once a day', 'only eat fresh fish'.
Wealthy people might have a physician who would give them a REGIMEN SANITAS: This is basically a list of things they need to do to stay healthy: for example 'walk once a day', 'only eat fresh fish'.
5. PURIFYING THE AIR: Remember now that everyone believed in MIASMA. Some people actually walked around with flowers in their pockets in case there was miasma in the air! These plants were used in homes to keep things fresh. Do you live in a house filled with plants? Hopefully no miasma for you!
6. RELIGIOUS PREVENTION METHODS: We know already that many thought disease was caused by sin. The best way to avoid this was by regular confession: confessing your sins to your local priest. This could also be done by going to church every week and paying tithes (taxes). You could also try praying regularly: maybe God will have mercy on you!
MEDIEVAL BARBERS: We are lucky to have thousands of doctors in the United Kingdom. However, back in medieval times there were very few because there were no medical colleges. Barbers were the main group who cut hair, did surgeries (such as blood-letting) and even pulled teeth. This was probably all with the same equipment!
Treatment methods in medieval times may seem crazy today, but they did not know what caused disease: This meant that their treatments were based on the theory of the four humours, astrology, religious explanations and miasma (none of which were accurate).
Medicine was divided into four types: 1. WARMING. 2. COOLING. 3. MOISTENING. 4. DRYING.
Medicine was divided into four types: 1. WARMING. 2. COOLING. 3. MOISTENING. 4. DRYING.
APOTHECARIES: These people were like early pharmacists. They prescribed certain herbal remedies for diseases and illnesses. Doctors today have found that around half of these would have worked perfectly:
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BBC BITESIZE LINK FOR MEDIEVAL MEDICINE
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