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Physicians in the middle ages

PhysicianDoctors during the Medieval Ages were very primitive. The doctors during this time were separated distinctly by what their jobs entailed. Physicians focused primarily on issues inside the body. Surgeons focused mainly on wounds, dislocations, skin diseases, amputations, and urinary infections.

Other than these two types of doctors, there were not many other doctors. Physicians during this time had primitive ways of tending to patients, many illnesses and diseases to deal with, and increasing education to handle. Physicians during the Middle Ages had a limited knowledge compared to the access that today??™s physicians have a hold of. Because of this lack of knowledge, the treatment that ill patients received was very inadequate. Physicians believed in humors or body fluids. There were four humors in the entire body, and these humors related directly to the four elements of the universe. It was even thought that the body was part of the universe.

??? Physicians diagnosed their patients by close examination of their blood, urine and stools, and determined their complexion or balance of humors.??? The element of fire related to the yellow bile. The element of Earth related to black bile. The element of air related to blood. The element of water related to phlegm.

It was a physician??™s goal to ensure that theses four humors were balanced at all times. When a patient came to a physician with an illness, the physician focused on their body??™s humors in order to fix the illness. This thought led to physicians performing bleeding procedures. This was where the doctor applied leeches to a patient??™s skin to suck the blood out in order to get the excess of that humor out of the patient??™s body (Middle Ages).

This thought came from the ancient Greek physicians Hippocrates and Galen. Herbs and plants also played a big role in medicine during this time. Many herbs that were used then are still used today. The theory that herbs that had the similar shape of a body part were to be used to help heal that body part was a common theory of the time. Also, many times it was thought that an illness that came on to a patient was a punishment from God to the person. Superstition played a big role in the physician??™s role during the Middle Ages (Medicine in the Middle Ages). Disease during the Middle Ages was a common thing.

There was a great variety of disease that hit these people. Wool worn around wounds caused rashes and disease. Lack of food led to a number of diet diseases including scurvy. The winter was an especially difficult time.

Disease spread rapidly throughout the cities. If the weather was not a big issue, then the sanitation was. Crowded cities led to disease. ??? Leprosy remained the most feared disease of the Middle Ages, until the Black Death??¦Leper colonies could be found everywhere. In France alone, there were 2, 000 such colonies in the 11th-13th centuries.??? (Medieval-Life).

Education of physicians during the Middle Ages was at first not very intense. Many midwives had little to no education whatsoever; however, this all started to change during the Middle age little by little. Because medicine was starting to be more recognized as a profession, the importance of the education of the physicians started to increase. With this came the use of standardized education, regulations, examinations, and curriculum. In some cities, any untrained physicians practicing medicine were subject to prosecution and fines. This was a very new concept for the Middle Ages and would eventually improve the face of medicine. In some cases, even though not approved by educated physicians, uneducated physicians and surgeons performed medical procedures on patients (Medieval Medicine). Some medical procedures were passed orally from generation to generation from city to city (Medicine in the Middle Ages).

In conclusion, physicians during the Middle Ages had a series of difficulties to deal with. They had to do the best with the materials they had during that time. Also, their lack of knowledge caused them to not be able to provide adequate provisions needed to help their patients tremendously; however, they did help them in many ways. Physicians during this time had primitive ways of tending to patients, many illnesses and diseases to deal with, and increasing education. Works Cited” Diseases during the Middle Ages.” Medieval Life. Web.

14 Nov. 2010. “ Medicine in the Middle Ages: Healing the Sick in Medieval Times.

” Web. 14 Nov. 2010. “ Medieval Medicine.” A Short History of Medical Careers. Web.

“ Middle Ages Doctors.” Middle Ages. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.

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