Middle Ages Medicine Quiz

Illness in the [blank_start]Middle Ages[blank_end] was explained in many ways; many of which were very unjustified and had no scientific explanation. Firstly, the Four [blank_start]Humours[blank_end] ([blank_start]phlegm[blank_end], black bile, yellow bile and blood) were the reason behind illness. If they were [blank_start]unbalanced[blank_end], you were ill and due to [blank_start]Hippocrates[blank_end] and Galen's theories, they used Treatment of [blank_start]Opposites[blank_end]. You'd be [blank_start]bled[blank_end] to reduce blood, cleaned using an enema or made to cough up blood to reduce [blank_start]black bile[blank_end], made sick (often using salt water) to reduce [blank_start]yellow bile[blank_end] and [blank_start]coughed[blank_end] to reduce phlegm. This obviously didn't work.

God was a believed cause of illness.

There were people who believed God caused disease. Why did they think God sent it?

Many other people believed that 'bad air' caused disease and that smelling the foul streets would cause illness. What was their name for 'bad air'?

[blank_start]Jews[blank_end] were blamed for disease, especially the [blank_start]Plague[blank_end], and accused of poisoning the [blank_start]wells[blank_end], leading to many of them being burned to [blank_start]death[blank_end].

People did still believe in the [blank_start]four humours[blank_end], so when really bad diseases were contracted, some blamed [blank_start]'evil humours'[blank_end]. Not only were they out of balance, but they were all against you and you have to [blank_start]release the evil[blank_end].

What was God said to be controlling, which would influence your contraction of diseases?

There were many ways to prevent disease in the Middle Ages, including the [blank_start]flagellant[blank_end] technique (publicly punishing yourself, begging for [blank_start]forgiveness[blank_end]) and people would go pilgrimages to pray at the tombs of [blank_start]saints[blank_end]. To avoid the disgusting streets, [blank_start]rakers[blank_end] were recruited to clean streets and people would carry [blank_start]herbs[blank_end] to stop the smell affecting them. The biggest prevention was praying, since people strongly believed [blank_start]God[blank_end] was responsible for everything. Kings and bishops ordered [blank_start]services[blank_end] when disease broke out, praying for the deaths to cease, furthermore, people stopped any activities they felt to be insulting [blank_start]God[blank_end]. Some would fast, sacrificing themselves to show God they are [blank_start]sorry[blank_end] for their [blank_start]sins[blank_end].

Some people believed that God was the only person who could stop disease and they didn't believe in treatment.

A treatment for the plague was to pop the buboes and put potatoes around them, before burying them.

Wise [blank_start]women[blank_end] were the doctors of [blank_start]poor[blank_end] people, who lived on the outskirts of a village using natural resources from around her home to make [blank_start]herbal remedies[blank_end]. Due to having [blank_start]poor[blank_end] customers, she'd often trade her services for [blank_start]food[blank_end] or household jobs. Later on, they were unfortunately blamed for [blank_start]witchcraft[blank_end], due to living alone, mixing medical potions and being renowned for not being able to always prevent death and owning a black [blank_start]cat[blank_end].

The germs from midwives hands caused the death of many parents and complications of the time killed many kids.

Who were midwives for the poor, who couldn't afford to pay someone?

Hospitals were for people who couldn't [blank_start]look after[blank_end] themselves and rarely admitted the [blank_start]sick[blank_end] to prevent the spread of [blank_start]diseases[blank_end]. They were also incredibly [blank_start]small[blank_end] and were used by people who were most likely to [blank_start]die[blank_end] in there.

Physicians trained at university for 8 years.

Only the rich were physicians, as they were the ones who could afford university.