What Was Medicine In The 14th Century Like?

Answer 1

In the 14 century, medicine was relatively primative. Most doctors and physicians still relied on old myths and spells that they would cast on the patient. Some doctors still beleived in astronomy and that it was the cause and cure of illnesses. Doctors believed in the power of God, the Holy Saints, and the Holy Virgin Mary. Other doctors used primative recipies, close to wiches brew. For example, "ring worm was treated by washing the scalp with a boy's urine, gout by a plaster of goat dung mixed with rosemary and honey." Another spine chilling remedy was for the headache. If the person suffered from cronic headaches, the patients skull had a hole drilled in it and the fluids were allowed to drain out. As a result, the patient usually died.

During the infamous Black Death that litteraly killed one third of Europe, superstistion was a large part of medicine of the 14th century. Most "doctors" during this horrible time in history thought that the fault of the plauge lay in the lap of the women. You have to understand that women were view drastiacly different than they are now. So, since they thought that the fault lay with them, they expirimented on them, pulling out eyes, dismembering body parts, etc. They thought that the dredful disease was passed by sight, so if a woman who had the disease looked at you, you were thought to be doomed and if possible, they plucked out the womans eyes. Some illnesses were thought to be caused by "bad blood" and when this was determined, the patients blood was drained, causing the victim his/her death. This "remedy" was used surprisingly up until the early 19 century (1800-1830)

Midicine wasn't always dark though, Guy de Chauliac understood how to make and use anesthesia from the juice of opium, mandrake, or hemlock. This was not widely used however. Doctors did pay attention to the diet of the people, mental attitudes, and physical health. The "understood epilepsy and apoplexy as spasms of the brain." They could perform skin grafts. They knew which plants acted as laxatives. For the people who did not suffer from cronic headaches, they gave them a mixture of " ground peony root with oil of roses for headache."

Most doctors still believed that astronomy was still effecting humans and life on earth in a biological way. This was because, of course, they had no idea of micro organisms and bacteria. So, when a epidemic struck, like the Black Plauge, most people thought of it as an effect of "a triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars in the 40th degree of Aquarius". The disease could then jump from person to person through the air or by sight. People burned "aromatic substances to purify the air."

Of course there was the supernatural, or the religious way of dealing with illness. If comon remedies or primative surgical procediers did not work, they called on the name of the Holy Saints and the Holy Virgin Mary to bring the healing power of God. Only they know if this worked.