HISTORY ESSAY
Medieval Medicine: Magical & Irrational
How during the Middle Ages, the Church and Scientific Theory Clashed
Daniella Smithers
4/10/2016
In a time where religion and science clashed, it can be argued that it delayed the progress of medicine, during the 5th to the 15th century.
Medieval Medicine: Magical & Irrational
How during the Middle Ages, the Church and Scientific Theory Clashed
The Medieval period was dangerous and dominated by religion. This combination could mean life or death during the middle ages. Europe was dominated by the Christian faith, which oversaw and controlled the public. These Christian beliefs overruled a lot of scientific thought and prevented, delayed, or perverted discoveries.
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Praying to God was seen as a sure way to be helped by the almighty and showing your devotion. God could also heal people through the King. The King was seen to be appointed by god and therefore was possible to heal the sick, whether by touch of a hand or simply touching one of his personal belongings. However, this was seen as less effective than going directly to God or a Saint. A Saint was seen to be a messenger to God, and relay messages of prayer. Pilgrimages often involved a Saints remains or personal belongings. These were divided by three categories; first-class relics, second class relics and finally third class relics. Each was important and thought to grant them help from the Catholic Church. First class relics were the most important, as they were directly associated with the Saint. Whether it was a cross, or their actual remains, they provided the best way to communicate with the Saint and hence God. Second class relics were the belongings of the Saint, such as rosary, books or part of their clothing. Finally, third class relics are the most common as they were often sold to pilgrims and were taken home. These relics were objects that had touched either a first or second class relic, preferably the first. Sellers often took advantage of pilgrims and took advantage of their longing to be near a Saint. Meaning, that many of the third class relics hadn’t actually touched …show more content…
Records of death, births, and other medical procedures, show the expanse of the religious culture during this era. Deaths were so common, most being premature, occurred in the lower classes, where most people were illiterate, so there are very little resources documenting it. However, due to the religious culture that surrounded medicine, it is possible to look at church sermons and prayers which would have circulated around the churches, including the least wealthy. This provides insight on what the general population was scared off and suffered from. The evidence shows that medicine in this medieval religious culture was multidimensional, meaning that it covered both physical remedies, as well as magical and religious ones. They provide strong evidence on the belief system and how theories changed over time and developed throughout the middle ages. Due to Europe being a counter-Culturist nation during this period, in terms of religious culture and medical culture, there was a constant battle in which religion often won. The belief system was ruled by the wealthy (the King or Queen), or the Pope. The Royals would state which religion a kingdom should follow, often being between Protestant and Catholic. It was a time where socialism focused on the divine. People used it as a way of expression and had a ‘social dependency’ on the Church to help them through
Medieval Medicine was basic in an era when terrible illnesses such as the Black Death were killing nearly one third of the population. No one had any idea what caused illnesses and diseases, such as the Black Death. There were no antibiotics or vaccines thus it was almost impossible to cure illness and diseases.
During the seventeenth century, the scientific revolution in Europe was at its peak, changing people’s lives through the new techniques of the scientific method. Citizens of western civilizations had previously used religion as the lens through which they perceived their beliefs and customs in their communities. Before the scientific revolution, science and religion were intertwined, and people were taught to accept religious laws and doctrines without questioning; the Church was the ultimate authority on how the world worked. However, during this revolution, scientists were inspired to learn and understand the laws of the universe had created, a noble and controversial move toward truth seeking. The famous scientists of the time, such as Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo and Newton, were known to be natural philosophers, intending to reveal God’s mystery and understand (through proof) the majesty of God. Throughout previous centuries, people had hypothesized how the world and natural phenomenon may work, and new Protestant ideals demanded constant interrogation and examination. Nevertheless, some of these revelations went against the Church’s teachings and authority. If people believed the Church could be wrong, then they could question everything around them, as well. As a result, the introduction of the scientific method, a process by which scientists discovered and proved new theories, was revolutionary because it distinguished what could be proved as real from what was simply
During the Early Modern Era, Western Europe expands. The Roman Catholic Church went through many challenges before the Protestant Reformation, which was the beginning of the many ideas that will emerge in Europe, such as the Renaissance ending thus letting science escalate. The Renaissance inspired a load of curiosity in many fields, such as science. Claims and ideas that had been accepted by the world for many of years previous to this point in history were now being challenged and questioned by Scholars, especially since religious leaders challenged and questioned accepted ways of thinking with God and salvation in the church during the Reformation. Collectedly, thus began Scientific Revolution in the 1600’s. The Scientific Revolution was a major part of World History in Europe. It made people question god, science and created new religions. This time period also shaped European
The bio-medical model of ill health has been at the forefront of western medicine since the end of the eighteenth century and grew stronger with the progress in modern science. This model underpinned the medical training of doctors. Traditionally medicine had relied on folk remedies passed down from generations and ill health was surrounded in superstition and religious lore with sin and evil spirits as the culprit and root of ill health. The emergence of scientific thinking questioned the traditional religious view of the world and is linked to the progress in medical practice and the rise of the biomedical model. Social and historical events and circumstances were an important factor in its development as explanations about disease
Although the Christian church was very involved with public health, it wasn’t the only church embracing science. In fact, medicine and public
In Europe, cultural movement throughout 1450-1750 brought many developments and shifts that were long lasting. Throughout this time period, many thoughts and ideas were questioned (including the church’s beliefs), and it ultimately led to radical changes that overall increased Europe’s foundation about the earth, religion, and science.
Prior to 18th century Europe there were a few effective medical developments but most treatments lacked medical value. An idea developed by the ancient Greeks and Romans insisted that bloodletting was a fantastic remedy to difficult diseases but it did more harm than good (Doc 4). Another flaw in medicine is the level of hygiene in the institutions that provided care. The sick were crammed into dirty hospitals, dead lay beside those clinging to life, and the air was
In this essay I will be looking at the different aspects of medicine in the Middle Ages and accessing how the church helped or hindered their development. As there was a lot of unrest at the start of the middle Ages the church is important because it preserved a lot of things. It also provided a way of life, so it was very influential.
Although peasants believed in church and treatment of the plague through prayer and hoped for God’s mercy, not much was done to ease their suffering. Back then, science was not as innovative and the doctors used common known medicine, but it was insufficient in curing the bubonic plague. Many of the treatments and theories held by doctors had no scientific
During Ancient times, cure and prevention of illness and disease were not very well developed – people would blame their ill health on Gods, witches, demons or other supernatural causes. They had many theories, such as God punishing them for their sins.
Before logical thought was regularly applied to functions of the human body, people made sense of daily misfortunes by attributing them to the moods and wills of the gods. In the minds of the Greek, afflictions were the result of disobedience and to live in good health was a blessing that only divine intervention could provide (History of Medicine 1). Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing, was often the one called upon in times of need. Asclepian temples were constructed in Greece and in the surrounding areas, and these sites of worship also became the centers of healing; Ill Grecians undertook lengthy pilgrimages to the temples in hopes that the God’s supposed restorative powers could ameliorate their tribulations (Greek Medicine 1). An orator at that time, Aeschines reported his encounter with godly healing by praising Asclepius: “No longer counting upon mortal skill, I placed all my hope in divinity. I came, Asclepius, into your sacred wood and I was cured in three of a wound I had in my head for a year” (Palatine Anthology 13). When cures were not left up to the divine, the rituals to rid a body of disease were primitive and mainly consisted of attempts to expel demons (Longrigg 14-16). Although the idea that sickness and religion are intertwined is
People in the middle ages were very religious. People believed that Roman Catholic Church represent God. The church had a big influence on the content spread in the Middle Ages, and they were content with religious or moralistic. The only religion recognized in Middle Ages Europe was Christianity and specifically Catholicism. Christianity in the middle ages dominated the lives. The life of the medieval people was dominated entirely by the church and many religious institutions gained power and wealth. It was single the larges institution in west of Europe. It touched everyone’s life no matter what rank in social class they lived in. Everyone in western Europe was Rome Catholic Christian at that time. From the reaches king all the way down.
Medical physicians even told their patients to change the behavior of their lives in order to improve their health. Modern doctors didn’t trust the efficiency of traditional medicine by healers. This illustrates the strength of faith as well as religious beliefs that this society had.
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.