Caring for the Sick Flashcards

Places of care often run by monasteries. Focused on hospitality rather than medical treatment.

The Church controlled medical knowledge and promoted Galen's ideas. It also ran hospitals and trained physicians.

A theory that health depended on balancing blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile.

A common treatment to balance the humours, often performed by barber-surgeons.

Plant-based treatments used by apothecaries and wise women to cure illnesses.

Untrained practitioners who performed minor surgeries, bloodletting, and tooth extractions.

Belief that the alignment of stars and planets influenced health and treatments.

Limited sanitation; waste often dumped in streets and rivers, leading to disease spread.

A devastating plague that killed millions. Believed to be caused by miasma or divine punishment.

Groups who whipped themselves to atone for sins, believing it would stop the Black Death.

Specialists who mixed herbal remedies. They were not formally trained but had practical knowledge.

Local healers who used herbal remedies and traditional methods to treat illnesses.

Ancient physician whose ideas were promoted by the Church. He emphasised the importance of balancing the humours.

Belief that bad air or smells caused disease. Led to efforts to improve air quality.

Prayers, pilgrimages, and offerings to saints were common ways to seek healing, reflecting the Church's influence.

Monasteries provided care for the sick, offering food, shelter, and basic treatments. They were central to medieval healthcare.

Ancient Greek physician who developed the theory of the Four Humours and emphasised observation and diagnosis.

Used by physicians to diagnose illnesses by examining the colour, smell, and taste of urine.

Used to determine the best time for treatments based on astrology and the alignment of planets.

Trained professionals who diagnosed illnesses using texts like Galen's and Hippocrates' works. Rare and expensive.