Medieval Medicine- Public Health

Public Health

  Public Health= the health and well-being of the population as a whole

Towns and Cities

People lived close together, making it easy for diseases to spread Clean water was in short supply as people put their waste in the same streams and rivers they drank from Butchers killed animals in the towns and cities and did not know how to clean the waste There were no bins or rubbish collectors to remove the waste from the streets Cesspits were built next to wells, allowing one to contaminate the other Cesspits were emptied infrequently Animals created waste on the streets There were no sewers Household waste was chucked into the streets and left to rot Shopkeepers tried to sell rotten food People were always unclean due to the lack of clean water

Monasteries

often situated in isolated places, near rivers monasteries had pipes to deliver clean water to wash basins filtering systems cleaned water monasteries were rich due to donations in exchange for prayers they had toilets monks had religious routines of cleanliness monks were educated and disciplined they had access to medical books they had infirmaries 

Practice Question

Compare public health in a medieval town to a medieval monastery. In what ways were they different? Refer to both. [8 marks]