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
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
“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