The Middle Ages: Caring for the Sick (1 janv. 1250 – 1 janv. 1500)

Description:

Hospital numbers increased quickly during the Middle Ages. By 1500, there were approximately 1100 hospitals in England. Many hospitals did not actually treat the sick, but instead offered hospitality to the sick and travellers. About 30% of hospitals were run by the Church; these were run by the monks and nuns who lived in monasteries. These were funded by charity and endowment. These infirmaries were kept clean and hygienic, and monks treated the sick with remedies (often spiritual rather than medical), however, patients would share beds, showing that people still didn’t know about contagion.

Physicians read ancient texts and ideas about treating disease, heavily influenced by the Church and ideas of Galen and Avicenna, though they had little practical experience. They diagnosed illnesses but rarely treated the patient.

Apothecaries were a common form of treatment in the Middle Ages. They were less expensive than physicians and gained their medical knowledge from experience, family members, or apprenticeships. They prepared and sold herbal remedies.

Surgery was very dangerous; there was no way to prevent blood loss, infection or pain. Although there were highly trained surgeons, most operations were carried out by barber-surgeons with little medical training or insight.

There were relatively few hospitals in England, so most sick people were treated at home. Members of the family, mainly women, mixed herbal remedies, made the patient comfortable and prepared restorative foods.

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