Medicine In The Middle Ages

Medicine is a necessity, no matter what time period. Medicine in the Middle Ages was especially an important necessity. Advanced technology that we use today did not exist back then, and because of that, medicine was different. All the doctors could use were their own hands and/or very strange medical techniques. To understand medicine during this time, one must understand the medical professions, the diseases, and how the sick were treated.
There were multiple medical professions during the medieval era, but mainly male occupations. Most of these occupations were physicians that worked for the richest and most powerful people in Europe. Physicians tried maintaining their patients' good health and cure diseases by giving them advice for their
lifestyle, and medicinal herbs and treatments. They had a belief that men and women could cause sickness to themselves by living wickedly or recklessly, but they could improve their health by following a good, sensible lifestyle. To help assist with a sensible lifestyle, physicians offered counseling to patients and discussed multiple problems that were troubling the patients. Each patient was drawn up a rule of health that described the amounts and types of drinks, food, exercise, rest, and sexual activity that they thought was suitable, but it was not always followed. With their training from the universities, mathematics and astronomy were used "to calculate healthy and sickly times in each patient's life, when stars and planets would influence the people positively or negatively from above" (Macdonald 32), but too much astronomy could not be used, or the physician would be accused of black magic and be sent to prison. Physicians also created their own medicine using their herbal knowledge, Galen's theory of the four humors, chemical sciences, astronomy, and even religion-or superstition- as a guide to creating these medicines. Other university-trained doctors worked as surgeons. In northern and southern Europe, surgeons were treated differently. Southern Europe respected surgeons and paid them just as much as physicians, but northern Europe did not pay them as well and their work was less prestigious. Two reasons as to why they were both treated differently are because southern European rules demanded that all doctors were required to have surgical training, but this background wasn’t required in northern Europe, so university-trained surgeons were rare. The second reason was that northern Europe had barber-surgeons. Barber-surgeons, unlike physicians, practiced hands-on medicine. By hands-on medicine, that means “they stitched cuts, pulled teeth, dressed wounds and sores, applied ointments, lanced boils, stopped hemorrhages (sudden bleeding), gave enemas, and cut out tumors” (Macdonald 33). These painful methods were not exclusive to barber-surgeons, however. Bonesetters were responsible for the fixing of broken bones. “Bonesetters could make bandages or casts for immobilizing broken bones until they healed” (Allman 28). Along with that, “bonesetters could also realign dislocated bones at joints, such as at collarbones or elbows, and many specialized in spinal adjustments and massages, much as chiropractors do today” (Allman 29). Women had medical occupations as well. “Women were able to qualify as surgeons by working as apprentices to qualified surgeons” (Dawson 10). Unlike males, women could not become physicians. “The Church did not allow women to attend universities, and even women from wealthy families received very little education” (Dawson 11). Even though women were distrusted by men, they were still important. “Poor families could not pay for expensive physicians, or even for cheaper barber surgeons, so mothers and grandmothers cooked and cleaned to keep their families as healthy as possible” (Macdonald 34). Midwives were a medical occupation mainly exclusive to women because “Being a midwife was a responsible position” (Macdonald 35). It was so important that even “Wealthy noblewomen paid female midwives to deliver their children” (Macdonald 35). Diseases were common during the medieval era, but the two main diseases were leprosy (now known as Hansen’s disease) and the Black Death.
At the time, leprosy was the most feared disease caused by bacterium that attacked nerve endings, skin, and other tissues in the human body. It was a terrible, painful and disfiguring disease that wasn’t very contagious, but was widespread around a majority of the world at the time. Leprosy attacked the eyes, which later caused blindness, severe ulcers, sores, and lumps on the skin which allowed secondary infections to occur. “The secondary infections erode and destroy tissue and can leave body parts mutilated” (Allman 46). Senses were lost by nerve endings being killed, muscles became weaker over time, affected body parts would become deformed and possibly rot and fall off, etc. Leprosy was a disease that could not be stopped, so anyone that had leprosy could expect a very miserable life ahead and painful death. Because it was such a terrible disease, people stayed away from lepers (those that had leprosy) and shunned them, and even their activities were limited. To make matters worse, that fear led to hatred and prejudice. An example of this was London passing a law that stated lepers could not reside in cities. Another example was in 1318 in France, King Phillip issued an order for lepers and future lepers to be burned until leprosy was eradicated. Some people had compassion for lepers, so many colonies throughout Europe were
established. Lepers in these colonies received food, care, clothing, and shelter. An example of this kindness from royalty was in England in 1204 when King John issued an order for lepers “to be given a percentage of all flour sold in city markets so that they could be assured of having bread to eat” (Allman 51). Nobles contributed to the care of lepers with large donations and some communities that outlawed begging gave special privileges for lepers to beg for food and money. Leprosy began to decline in the mid-thirteenth century, but there were still diseases like tuberculosis, influenza, measles, etc. However, the greatest disease threat happened in the world: The Black Death. The Black Death reached Europe in 1347. “The epidemic began in China, spread to India and across Europe” (Dawson 24). “Between 1347 and 1351, the plague swept through Europe with shocking speed, killing perhaps 25 million people” (Allman 55). Symptoms of the plague included buboes (tumors that were the size of eggs), purple splotches on skin, high fever, involuntary vomiting, and bloody coughs. The symptoms were practically incurable and it was an unstoppable disease that could not be contained. “The only practical way of stopping the spread of the disease was to isolate newcomers” (Dawson 28). Because it was incurable, even physicians and prayers could not do anything, and by the time the Black Death ended, “somewhere between one-third and one-half of Europe’s population was dead” (Allman 56). The Black Death was a terrible disease, but it paved the way for advancements in medicine. Treating the sick in the medieval era was done with medicine and medical practices.
“Medicines in the medieval period were sometimes homemade, if they weren’t too complicated” (Mason). Herbs were simple ingredients for simple medicines, “but if they required numerous ingredients or preparations in advance, they could be purchased from an apothecary…” (Mason). An example of a herb was horehound that treated coughs. “Horehound [a herb plant and member of the mint family] is good for treating coughs, and diapenidion is a confection made of barley water, sugar, and whites of eggs, drawn out into threads…” (Mason). Another example is one of the herbs that was one of the ingredients for treating migraines, betony. “Betony [a grassland herb] was used by the medieval and Tudor apothecary as an ingredient in remedies to be taken internally for all for all kinds of ailments…” (Mason). Medical practices were unusual and painful. For example, “Cataract surgery was performed with a thick needle” (May). Anesthetics did not exist during this time, so “a rather crude brew of herbs mixed with wine was used to sedate the patient instead” (May). One of these herbs used was dwale, but it had numerous ingredients “from the innocuous, such as lettuce and vinegar, to the deadly, such hemlock and opium” (May). Back then, doctors believed in humors. “The word “humors” referred to certain fluids found in the body: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm” (May). Doctors believed that humors
influenced a person’s health, so to combat this, “doctors would remove large quantities of blood from a person’s veins in the hopes that it would cure them” (May). This was called bloodletting and it was done in two ways: leeching and venesection. “In leeching, a leech was placed on the part of the body that was the concern and the ”blood-worm” would suck blood (and, in theory, the illness) from the patient” (May). Venesection was thought to be more direct. “A doctor would literally open up a vein using a knife called a “fleam” and allow blood to drain from the body” (May). Overall, medicine in the Middle Ages was strange, but it shaped how our medicine is today. The multiple medical occupations that were split up between men and women played an important role with medicine. Leprosy and the Black Plague were also a major reason to why medicine was so important. The bizarre medicines and techniques helped treat the sick. Even though people during the Middle Ages did not have technology, medicine was painful, but over the years, it became better.

Allman, Toney. Medieval Medicine and Disease. San Diego: ReferencePoint, 2015. Print.
Dawson, Ian. Medicine in the Middle Ages. New York: Enchanted Lion Books, 2005. Print.
Macdonald, Fiona. The Plague and Medicine in the Middle Ages. Milwaukee: World Almanac Library, 2006. Print.
Mason, Emma. "9 weird medieval medicines." History Extra. BBC History Magazine, 20 Apr. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2017
May, Gareth. "10 Bizarre Medieval Medicine Practices." Listverse. Listverse Ltd, 31 Jul. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2017