Medicine Through Time: Medieval/Anglo Saxon Times

Public Health
1. Massive decline
  1. No funding or power to maintain/build systems
  2. Didn't see dirt as cause so didn't think cleanliness was needed
    1. Books of Galen were lost - only supernatural ideas
    2. Rubbish, dead animals and excrement in streets
    3. Water contaminated from sewage and rubbish and human waste from latrines (toilets)
      1. Most people drank ale instead of water
2. Growing towns later in Middle Ages increased public health problems
3. Cities and towns worst affected
  1. Compact
4. Rich people afford better standards of living
5. Many towns had public toilets
6. Monasteries & convents had running water
Influencing Factors
1. War
  1. Halted advances in medical ideas
  2. Took money so couldn't be spent on public health
  3. Public health became less of a priority
2. Government
  1. Many kings has a 'Lassaiz Faires' attitude
  2. Varying amounts by different kings on enforcing public health
Christian Church
1. Largest influence over medicine
  1. Only Church - approved ideas
2. God caused disease as displeased, or test faith
  1. Galen's books lost
  2. Held back medical research
  3. Pray to cure
3. Believed should care for sick
4. Discouraged challenging ideas
Hospitals
1. Didn't treat, just looked after
2. Focus on religion
  1. Prayer
3. Infectious or incurable weren't admitted
4. Some built for specific infectious diseases
  1. Leper Houses
Doctors
1. Decrease from Roman times
2. Medical training moved to monasteries
  1. Astronomy/ God

Resource summary

	Created by Alice Hathaway about 8 years ago