Medieval

Front 1

What changed or regressed in medicine from Ancient Rome to the Middle Ages?

Back 1

Wars destroyed the Roman public health systems and medical libraries.
The rulers of the small kingdoms built up armies rather than improving medical skills or public health.
War disrupted trade so countries became poorer.
Travel became more dangerous, reducing the communication between doctors.
Training of doctors was abandoned. Copies of Galen's books were either lost, or hidden away for safety.

Front 2

What progressed in medicine between Roman times and the Middle Ages?

Back 2

The church had set up universities where doctors could be trained.
Armies took trained doctors to war with them where they gained experience as surgeons. eg the 100 Years War
Laws were passed to clean up towns.
Merchants and scholars were once again travelling around Europe, sharing ideas about the cures for disease.

Front 3

What influence did the Catholic Church have on medicine - did the church help or hinder progress in the treatment of disease?

Back 3

The Christian Church grew stronger in the Middle Ages.
Monasteries controlled education, priests and monks were the only people who could read. The Church
opened medical schools where the ideas of Galen were taught.
The only libraries were in monasteries, church sometimes banned books they did not want people to read.
Monasteries made an effort to provide clean running water and toilets.

Front 4

How were medieval ideas of causes and cures of disease affected by the ancient Greeks and Romans?

Back 4

Galen's ideas were rediscovered. Church leaders looked carefully at Galen's works and decided that they
fitted in with Christian ideas because he referred to "the creator" in his works.
Medieval doctors believed his ideas were correct and it was nearly impossible to improve on his work.
Galen had great influence on the doctors in the Arabic world and in medieval Christian Europe
Medical schools began to appear in Western Europe, starting with the one in Salerno, Italy.
- Translations of Galen's and Hippocrates' work were accepted as absolute truth in medical schools.

Front 5

Was Arabic medicine more advanced than European medicine?

Back 5

Aristotle's four humours, Galen's treatment by opposites and Hippocrates' clinical observation lived on.
The attitude of Muslims towards the Koran meant that they were unwilling to criticise the works of Galen.

Front 6

Name one Greek idea about medicine that was common in the Middle Ages.

Back 6

The Theory of the Four Humours.
Medieval doctors believed illness was caused by an imbalance of the four humours.
The theory developed into a more complex system, based on the position of the stars.
Although human dissection was carried out in medical schools, findings were interpreted as the theory of
the four humours - although some later doctors began to challenge traditional understanding