Medieval Christian

Medicine
John Albert T. Maguad
History 101
Prof. Boncan

Background

To a medieval mind, the distinction between natural and

supernatural was not always very clear.

This shows in the perception of the causes of ailments, and

the obscure treatments thought to help sick patients.

The Catholic Church played a large role in development as

well as management of medieval medicine.

Background

Clergy and laymen, men and women, were allowed to

practice medicine.

The unification came with the Black Death, when the need
for doctors to heal the sick was stronger than any prejudice
against their origin.

The education system has developed in order to teach law

and medicine to the willing. Guilds were created to allow
crafts to prosper.

Humorism

Hippocrates

Galen

The Four Humors

The Four Humors

Humor

Ancient Name

Ancient Characteristics

Blood

Sanguine

courageous, hopeful, amorous

Yellow Bile

Choleric

easily angered, bad tempered

Black Bile

Melancholic

despondent, sleepless, irritable

Phlegm

Phlegmatic

calm, unemotional

Humorism

Balance of humors in humans was achieved

by diet, medicines, and phlebotomy (bloodletting).

Diet

The eating habits of a medieval person

depended mostly on the geographical location
and financial status.

Most of the cases provide examples of diets

somewhat parallel to the food pyramid created by
modern science.

Medicines

In accordance with the humor theory, most plants,

food substances, and commonly found house items
were specified as either cold, hot, dry, or wet so that
they could be used to modify the amounts of humors
within a person.

Mostly Herbal

Phlebotomy

Phlebotomy was administered in two ways,

via derivation or revulsion

Derivation meant letting of blood at a point

close to the affected area
Revulsion meant that blood was let at the
most remote point to the affected area

Humorism

Faulty observation and misdiagnoses built

the foundation for the theory of humors as the
major medical explanation for health
disorders of the medieval peoples

Healing and Hospitals

The medicine in the early middle ages was mostly

based on the remaining Greek and Roman texts
stored in monasteries, some schools, and courts.

Most of the information contained in these texts

were passed upon the students in the form of at most
imperfect translations.

Healing and Hospitals

Originally physicians would deal with their

patient either in the patient's home, or the
patient would be brought to the physician.

Hospitals did not have place until the later

middle ages.

Healing and Hospitals

The diagnosis of a patient was usually

incomplete.

It consisted of inspection of blood, feces and

urine, and taking the pulse, but only in rare
cases all of the above were included.

Healing

Herbal remedies, mixtures, and gem therapy were

often used in treatment, especially during the early
Middle Ages.

Of course, this sort of treatment had its limitations

laid by the Catholic church to prevent pagan heresy
from spreading.

Healing

The medication of this time were mostly herbal

substances.

This combined with the diets, which specified the

type and amount of food (possibly in unison with the
principles of humors) and exercise to be applied.

In addition, and usually in more advanced or severe

cases, surgery would take place.

Healing

Given the uncertainty of academic medicine, many a

time the medieval person would turn towards certain
charms, special prayers, or specific Christian rituals.

Hospitals

"Love of god, compassion for humanity, and

concern for their own welfare encouraged
people to build hospitals"

Hospitals

Almost one half of the built hospitals was directly

affiliated with monasteries, priories, and churches.

Many hospitals, imitating religious communities,

formulated precise rules of conduct, required a
uniform type of dress, and integrated several
worship services into their daily routine.

Healing and Hospitals

Through prayer, patients were supposed to help each

other and, indeed, to assist their relatives and friends
and people everywhere

Many hospitals had definite local community

responsibilities - education and housing students,
feeding paupers, maintaining bridges, and
sponsoring commercial fairs.

Surgery and Dissection

Many potions were known to a medieval

surgeon which were to be used during
surgery.

Some of the potions used to relieve pain or

induce sleep during the surgery were
themselves potentially lethal.

Dissection

The Church was against any sort of manipulation of

dead bodies.

Some of the popes acted on the threat to

"excommunicate anybody who dissected a human
body or cooked out human bones."

"a kind of inquisition resulted in which anyone found

guilty of molesting the dead was burned at the stake
or otherwise severely punished"

Surgery and Dissection

Even though the popes looked down upon

dissection, they did not mind much the
inspection of fatal wounds by experienced
physicians.

Surgery and Dissection

The Church not only allowed but actually ordered

caesarean sections on dead pregnant women in
attempt to save the soul of the unborn infant.

Surgery and Dissection

Religion

"Christians should not pamper the body at the

expense of the sour or be consumed with the
material and temporal to the detriment of the
spiritual and eternal"

Religion

Suicides, hatred of own flesh, and seeking

martyrdom were popular.

With time, this turned to careful appreciation

of one's body as yet another creation of God
to be cherished.

Miracles

Prayer

Anointing with Oil for Healing

Communion

Examples of Treatments

Surgery

Surgeons in the early part of the Middle Ages

were often monks because they had access to
the best medical literature

But in 1215, the Pope said monks had to stop

practicing surgery, so they instructed peasants
to perform various forms of surgery.

Anesthetics

Anesthetics

Some potions used to relieve pain or induce

sleep during surgery were potentially lethal.

An example was a concoction of lettuce juice, gall from a castrated boar,

briony, opium, henbane, hemlock juice and vinegar. This was mixed with
wine before being given to the patient.

Spells

Spells

Pagan rituals and religious penance as a form

of cure

Early medieval medicine was often a mix of

the pagan, religious and scientific.

Eye Cataract Surgery

Eye Cataract Surgery

An early operation for removal of a cataract included

inserting a sharp instrument, such a knife or large
needle, through the cornea and forcing the lens of the
eye out of its capsule and down to the bottom of the
eye.

Blocked Bladders

Blocked Bladders

Blockage of urine in the bladder, due to syphilis and

other venereal diseases, was fairly common at a time
when antibiotics were not available.

Metallic are catheters inserted into the bladder

Childbirth

Childbirth

In situations where a baby's abnormal birth

position slowed its delivery, the birth
attendant turned the infant inutero or shook
the bed to attempt to reposition the fetus
externally.

A dead baby who failed to be delivered would

be dismembered in the womb with sharp
instruments and removed with a "squeezer."

Clysters

Clysters

The clyster was a long metallic tube with a cupped

end, into which the medicinal fluid was poured.

The other end, a dull point, which was drilled with

several small holes, was inserted into the anus.

Fluids were poured in and a plunger was used to

inject the fluids into the colon area, using a pumping
action.

Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids

St. Fiacre

Medieval physicians used their cautery irons

to treat the problem.
Others believed that simply pulling them out
with their fingernails was a solution

Bloodletting

Bloodletting

Physicians in the Middle Ages believed that most

human illnesses were the result of excess fluid in the
body (called humour).

The cure was removing excess fluid by taking large

amounts of blood out of the body

leeching and venesection

Evolution

Evolution

Came with the translations of medical texts

from outside medieval Europe

Improvement of education

Schola Medica Salernitana

First Medical School

Constantine Africanus

Merging Greek-Latin, Arab and Jewish medical

traditions

also had courses on philosophy, theology and law

Montpellier

Along with Salerno, came to be known as the

twin pillars of medical education

Stronger Arab influence

Salerno and Montpellier

THE places to study medicine

Twin Pillars of Medical Education

Other Schools

Paris schools

Oxford

Cambridge

End

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