Medieval England :: essays research papers fc

Medieval EnglandIt is said that An apple a mean solar day confines the dentist away. This has becomea common saying among Society today. We do not stop to think of how it reflectsour outlook of Medicine in our lives. We turn in come to understand the value ofsimple practices in order to keep ourselves healthy. This is not, however, thecase of Medieval England. Most medical practices of the time were based uponsuperstition, ancient texts, myth, or the direction of the church. Medicalpractices of Medieval England often based upon nothing to a greater extent than superstitionproved unbeneficial if not harmful to the people of England.Part of the unadorned problem was the fact that the common somebody hadlittle care or sense for improving their own health. The life and livelihood ofan average person was less than desirable even from the time of birth.In the villages chronic inbreeding must stupefy produced many children whostarted life with a built in weakness, every mental or phy sical. Many woulddie in childhood, but others who grew into manhood, capability drag out a uselessexistance, dependent on munificence for their sustenance. In general, infantmortality was extremely heavy....Once the child was free to toady aboutamong the unsanitary rushes, with a childs natural instinct to put everythinginto its mouth, it is a wonder that any survived. Fromt then on disease andaccident would declare oneself ample scope for a medical service, which wasvirtually non-existent. (Tomkeieff 119).Furthermore, the collective acquaintance (what little there was) was held andpracticed by Monks in Monasteries.     In thick of medical practice to the end of 1400, it may be said practice of medicine was practiced mostly by the clerics in monasteries and the laity whoselocus of performance was the apothecary shop. The physician thought surgery wasbeneath his dignity (to have bloodline on his hands and clothes) and left this touneducated barbers The pra ctitioner carried the championship Master, whereasteachers carried the title Doctor The physician was little advanced over theknowledge of Galens time. They cool off believed in the Doctrine of four humours,making diagnoses by inspection of the blood and urine. Most of the therapeuticmeasures included blood letting, steam baths, amulets, spells, hexes, prayers,the kings touch, and polypharmacy known as theriaca. (Snyder 1).The problem is furthered by the fact that these practices proved oflittle benefit. Most of these had no scientific basis and were instead rooted insuperstition and/or the church. "The concern of Christian theology, onthe other hand, was to cure the soul sort of than the body disease usually was