Doctors in Medieval Times

Nina TitovetsCrystal MendozaSabrina BabencoMiguel Cabildo

Four Humours

Element Body Fluid

Fire Yellow Bile

Earth Black Bile

Air Blood

Water Phlegm

Medieval Doctors were not strong believers in the Church they turned to astrology and numerology. Constellations and the alignment of the planets were assumed to have direct influence of the human body, thought to be comprised of four “Humours”

Treatments

• Bleeding and the use of leeches to draw "bad blood" from the patient were typical. Some surgeries were performed to cure patients of hernias, cataracts, for the removal of gallstones. Surgery was often more precarious than the actual problem.

• When doctors treatments failed the Church was called to exorcise demons and say prayers over the patient

Bloodletting was thought to be the cure for almost everything.

Childbirth in the Middle Ages was considered so deadly that the Church told pregnant women to prepare their shrouds and confess their sins in case of death.

Roles in Society

• Early medieval medicine was often a mix of the pagan, religious and scientific. As the church gained more control, pagan “rituals” were made punishable offences.

• Generally doctors were considered members of the upper class not only because their were only up to six per city, but because their role was considered important as that of an intellectual.

Surgery was extremely painful due to lack of knowledge of anatomy and anesthetics

Women Roles as Doctors

• Many of the medieval doctors are considered to be women.

• There are many factors supporting this statement, one of them is that most women doctors were witches.

• Women did not contribute politically as men though, they could not participate in political debates or high-class encounters like doctors who were men.

• Their practices were private and they were sometimes killed for the idea that some practiced Black Witchcraft (Witchcraft used to harm others).

Times• There weren’t a lot of learned doctors• They didn’t know a bout human anatomy

because autopsies were illegal • In some towns farmers were the most

experienced because of animals• Also believed astronomy directly affected our

body • In the beginning they weren’t really accepted by

society (church) they were thought to practice black magic

Barber surgeon removing a tooth.

Life

• Doctors were very important people in Medieval Times , because they could heal injured or sick people.

• Many doctors were very limited only about half a dozen in a city. However, there were some people that were were like doctors who learned medicine also.

• The doctor’s education started off with 3 years of Liberal Arts, then they would have four years of medical study and then a last year of qualified physician. After the whole education process they can become a licensed doctor, which was mostly chosen by the pope.

Life• The physicians were highly known to be a professional class

in 1215 , they started to form their own societies.• In the Middle Ages some of the practice, were not used in

what they use today. Surgery wasn’t used in this time so they would die of blood loss. The doctors used a form of blood letting, which is a process that was used so that the doctors would drain a certain amount of blood from the body . The doctors used to believe in this process , because they thought tainting the blood would leave there body , fresh and clean blood would replace the old blood.

• In the medieval times, doctors used scissors, razors, lancets, needles and speculums for surgical instruments.

Sources

• Finertimes.com• Medieval –life.net• Pengzi.maruzen.com• http://www.oddee.com/item_96620.aspx#8vi

skX6hDFRRy33o.99