Eduqas Changes in Health and Medicine (i)

Poverty, famine, warfare, lack of refrigeration, poor hygiene, terrible sanitation, untreated water supplies; these are just some of the reasons that the mortality rate was so high in medieval times, particularly in towns and cities.

Before evidenced based science took hold, people used to have some pretty funny ideas about health. Bad smells, medieval people noticed, often accompanied a sickness. Mistakenly, some believed that the scent brought the illness.

The medieval doctor looked a lot like an extra from Star Wars. Thick cloaks were worn as protection from disease. Amulets were used to ward off evil spirits. A large face-mask was worn with sweet smelling herbs to challenge bad aromas.

In truth, we know little about medieval mortality rates, because records were rarely kept for that purpose. By the dawn of the industrial age, people realised that knowledge was an important tool in fighting both disease and superstitions.

Since records have been kept, there have been a number of worldwide outbreaks of disease. Some devastating examples of these pandemics include the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918 and the AIDS outbreak of the 1980s.

These flashcards will help review some of the key medical events of recent and distant history. Outbreaks such as the Bubonic Plague of the middle ages and the Great Plague of 1665 are here. Also, terms such as Phossy Jaw and Miasma.

How much have you learned about diseases and illnesses over the last 500 years? Answer these ten questions to test your knowledge of the history of medicine and disease that we have discussed in this course.