Medicine in the Dark Ages.
Medieval Apothecary
The “cure” for headaches was a mixture of lavender, rose, sage, and bay. If you were congested, or had a blocked nose, you would
stuff mustard and onion up your nose. Loss of memory?
Eat ginger, they said. Wormwood, mint, and balm were used to calm
stomachaches and upset stomachs. Sage was believed to have
magical healing powers. They thought it improved your wiseness and memory, so it was used constantly in treating disease. Sage was believed to be magical because it contains a lot of healing properties, and had helped people of older age improve concentration and memory.
stuff mustard and onion up your nose. Loss of memory?
Eat ginger, they said. Wormwood, mint, and balm were used to calm
stomachaches and upset stomachs. Sage was believed to have
magical healing powers. They thought it improved your wiseness and memory, so it was used constantly in treating disease. Sage was believed to be magical because it contains a lot of healing properties, and had helped people of older age improve concentration and memory.
Surgery
Battlefield Surgery, 1540
In surgery, cauterization was commonly used to perform operations and stop bleeding of the tissue. Of course it caused great amounts of tissue and internal damage but it stopped bleeding. A cauter is a metal tool that was heated until red hot, then used to cut and slice flesh. The combined heat and the fact that it was literally burning apart your skin made it extremely painful and dangerous. William of Saliceto was the first to suggest using a knife in surgery instead of a cauter. He was also the first to realize, that pus on a wound was a bad thing. Many people at the time believed pus forming on a wound was part of the natural healing practice and encouraged it, but William changed that. He also in his time became the most successful and celebrated Italian doctor and surgeon in the 13th century.
Humorism and Causes.
Bloodletting
Medieval doctors believed there were 4 main humors that made up the body and controlled everything. Yellow bile, black bile, blood, and phlegm. They all correspond to an element. Yellow bile is fire, black bile is earth, blood is air and phlegm is water. An unbalance of these was believed to be the cause of disease, so they would administrate bloodletting, which was usually fatal, but "re-balanced" the amounts. Some also believed that disease and plague were a punishment from God, to punish them for their sins.
Really, the cause for disease was their poor hygiene and unsanitary practices. Also the changing seasons brought over various species of bugs and pests that carried disease from far lands.
Really, the cause for disease was their poor hygiene and unsanitary practices. Also the changing seasons brought over various species of bugs and pests that carried disease from far lands.
Hygiene
Sewage Disposal In a Medieval Town.
Hygiene was good in the middle ages. People brushed their teeth, showered, and washed hands, but they had some common practices that weren’t helping anyone. They had open sewers, so the trash and waste attracted bugs, rats, fleas, and lice. With all these pests, disease flourished, and not many understood why. They often covered the floors of homes with rushes, a leafy waterside plant. The plant is extremely irritating and caused people to vomit, bleed out, rashes formed, and other disgusting things occurred. All this was not good for personal health.
Throughout the 100 years war, things were so chaotic that infected or wounded soldiers were not getting the care they needed and many died from lack of medicine. Throughout the wars and crusades, diets became poor and mortality rates were high.
Throughout the 100 years war, things were so chaotic that infected or wounded soldiers were not getting the care they needed and many died from lack of medicine. Throughout the wars and crusades, diets became poor and mortality rates were high.
Impacts on Modern day Medical care
Well, without Andreas Vesalius' book and William's teachings we could still be using cauters today. Andreas Vesalius wrote the first comprehensive book of medicine and nerve systems. That book was the basis for modern day medicine and nerve surgery. Their medicines were mostly made up of common and or rare herbs and plants, which introduced the idea of using plants for medicines. It also help gain us a knowledge of what plants worked the best. Since medieval doctors tried everything, any time something seemed to work, they used more and more. This practice is the beginning of a process we still conduct today.
Ingredients.
These are some of the plants commonly used for ancient and modern medicines.
Works Cited
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Battlefield surgery 1540. Britannica Image Quest. N.p., 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
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Medieval Plague Scene. Britannica Image Quest. N.p., 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
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132_1278953?subjectId=0&collectionId=0&keyword=medieval+medicine&localizeMetaData=false>.
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156_2419432?subjectId=0&collectionId=0&keyword=sage&localizeMetaData=false>.
Sewage Disposal in Medieval Town. Britannica Image Quest. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
<http://quest.eb.com/images/
109_110399?subjectId=0&collectionId=0&keyword=medieval+hygiene&localizeMetaData=false>.
Soft Rush. Britannica Image Quest. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2013. <http://quest.eb.com/images/
128_968224?subjectId=0&collectionId=0&keyword=rushes&localizeMetaData=false>.
"William of Saliceto." The History of Surgery and Anaesthesia. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.historyofsurgery.co.uk/Web%20Pages/0079.htm>.
Wormwood. Britannica Image Quest. N.p., 2013. Web. 3 May 2013. <http://quest.eb.com/images/
300_3433468?subjectId=0&collectionId=0&keyword=worm+wood&localizeMetaData=false>.