Importance Of Medicine In The Middle Ages

The logic and principles of medieval medicine shaped those of Modern medicine. Never was there a more efficient method perfected, so much that it remained through history through so many hundreds of years. Today’s concepts of diagnosis, relationships with the church, anatomy, surgery, hospitals and training, and public health were established in the Middle Ages.

Medieval medicine was rooted in Ancient Greek practices. In 65 A.D., a Greek writer, Discorides, wrote a book, Material Medica. The book is about medical use of over five-hundred different plants. The book is translated into Hebrew and Arabic. Doctors in the Early Modern Era knew very little, and they used plants as the most important care and/or treatment. Due to unsanitary places and tools, many different diseases spread around Europe. Life was challenging during the Early Modern Era because of many diseases(Alchin). During the 1500s- 1600s, diseases overtook many people because doctors knew little, medicine was unknown, and there were many causes.

Why did the discoveries of the Renaissance make little practical difference to medical treatment between c1500-c1700?

There was no cure for this disease and people could do was just to pray and hope. Because of lack of knowledge no one knew what to do. People had very different reactions to plague some people would shut themselves inside the house and avoid those victims who catched the disease. Some people would just eat to be healthy and be merry enjoying the life as if nothing just happen. During the time of the middle ages there was no rule or authority because the ministers or excuetors would shut their families and people did however they please.

In document 2 it states, “To cure these infirmities neither the advice of the physicians nor the power of medicine appeared to have any value or profit; perhaps either the nature of the disease did not allow for any cure or the ignorance of the physicians . . . did not know how to cure it; as a consequence, very few were ever cured; all died three days after the appearance of the first outward signs, some lasted a little bit longer, some died a little bit more quickly, and some without fever or other symptoms.” This shows that many people died quickly because the physicians did not understand how to deal with the rapid spreading of this disease and how to treat it. Also, document 6 states “Medieval physicians wore outfits made of cloth or leather to protect themselves from the plague. The bird-like beak contained spices and vinegar-soaked cloth to mask the stench of death and decay.” This indicates the common belief back then that the smell of the dead bodies was spreading the disease. This also demonstrates the ignorance physicians had about germs which was a big part of why the plague affected so many people in such a short amount of

In Elizabethan times many deadly diseases had spread such as the plague, smallpox and typhoid, but the causes and cures had yet to be discovered. Due to bad hygiene because of open sewers and rubbish dumped in the river, this caused disease to easily spread as it was a natural habitat for rats, fleas and lice. The plague was carried by the fleas living in the fur of rats. As a result of this one third of the population died. Elizabethan physicians believed that medicine was basic, they had no idea why and how people were getting so sick, treatments were based from superstitions and guesses so they used a mixture of herbs for cures and also believed leeches would ‘suck

In this day and age, there are millions of pharmaceuticals out there for all kinds of diseases and conditions, but where did all of this start? The creation of medicines most likely started when people discovered the healing properties plants contained. Today, mankind has the knowledge and technology to extract elements from plants to produce more chemically engineered medicines. The real question is how did medicines develop from mashing up leaves in order to lessen an infuriating rash to just popping a pill to nurse or illness? Medicines evolved by the scientific method: series of research and experiments. During the Elizabethan era, research and experimentation attained a renewed interest.

During the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries, over one-third of Europe’s population fell victim to a treacherous disease nicknamed The Black Death. During The Middle Ages, medicine was not advanced enough to pinpoint exactly what was causing these tragic losses. However, it was later discovered that the bacteria originated in rodents, transferred to fleas when they bit the rodents, and finally reached humans through flea bites. Throughout the troublesome time period when this plague blanketed Europe, there were a plethora of responses. The most common responses were to stay isolated/quarantined from other people, to flee the areas where there were outbreaks, and to try and identify causes of the plague to gain a sense of clarity.

One of the greatest tragedies to hit Europe during the Middle Age was the Black Death or the Great Plague, or the Black Plague. With the introduction of the Black Death in the Mediterranean in 1347 , came the death of many. People knew of no ways to treat this terrible disease. By the middle of 1348, the Black Death had spread to England. While in England, it killed about a fourth of the population. Doctors could not figure out the cure for the Black Death, which just resulted in more and more deaths. One reason that they could not figure out a cure is, again, that medical was limited during this time. People like John of Arderne and Rogerius of Salerno were exceptions in this time period for what doctors and surgeons knew. They had a

Medicine has come a long way from the Greek period. Theories composed of the four elements were used to explain the sick phenomenon that happens to our bodies. Many of the those theories are not relevant as of now. Medicine and remedies has begun with the Earth, providing all types of compounds and

Medication as we see it today is much more subdued with precautions put in place. Much of the technology innovation during the medieval era pale in comparison to modern times, however there always had to be instruments that came before. People had little choice in the matter when it came to the pain with their treatments, whiskey could only do so much. During Medieval Times medical practices would have almost been borderline torture methods, as brutish as they were they did the trick. Healing these illness required a bit of ingenuity on the part of the doctor. One of many items used during this time would be a clysters; a rather large cylindrical tube filled with boar bile that is used for Enemas.

More specifically, the next important era of medicine would be the medieval times. Technically, there was a Hospital equivalent in ancient times in places like Greece and Rome. What was groundbreaking for medicine during the medieval times was the fact that medical treatment was now available to everyone. Before the advent of this change, medical treatment was generally available to only wealthy. At first, Hospitals were connected to religion and the church which was backed up by the Benedictine Monks. These monks were the ones responsible for reviving the Hospital. All of this lasted for the early part of the middle Ages. However, as time progressed, hospitals in the medieval times were separated from the control of churches and were in the hands of physicians. This change also brought up the separation of body and soul in caretaking. Obviously, the hospitals would have assorted forms of resources and materials needed to take care of patients. Evidently, this time period is significant as this time period brought up a core part of medicine and this laid the groundwork for hospitals in the modern

The book Renaissance Medicine was written by Nicola Barber, a popular children’s nonfiction author. Barber has published many books about history, environmental issues, geography, and the arts. Renaissance Medicine is only one of Barber’s works in the series Medicine Through the Ages. The reading level is low which makes Barber’s work suitable for a middle school aged audience. Through out the book there are a variety of pictures with detailed captains which help the reader better understand the topics being discussed. At the bottom of ever page there is a word station were it discuses words that appeared on the page and an their meaning. Nicola Barber express’s a neutral point of view in her writing. She includes factual information and does

Many ancient civilizations, such as the Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians, pushed medical knowledge forward until the Middle Ages, when medical knowledge was believed to have slowed down. However, that is not the case. The Middle Ages were a time of change and improvement, they shaped the modern world. The Middle Ages revolutionized medical practices, physicians linked filth to the spread of disease, many practical diagnoses and treatments for common illnesses were discovered, and medical training programs in universities became well established.

The Middle Ages were tough times when it came to disease and medicine. There were numerous types of sickness and disease that flooded Europe during the Middle Ages. Not helping the situation, the medicinal knowledge of the people of Europe of the time was not up to par. Some of the diseases and illness that were running rampant during these times were pneumonia, leprosy, and the plague. The middle ages were a time of great suffering and death because of the abundant disease and lack of knowledge of the spread and treatments.