Medieval England :: essays research papers fc

Medieval EnglandIt is utter that An apple a day keeps the dentist away. This has becomea common aphorism among Society today. We do not stop to think of how it reflectsour outlook of Medicine in our lives. We confound come to understand the value ofsimple practices in nightspot 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 more than superstitionproved unbeneficial if not harmful to the people of England.Part of the obvious problem was the fact that the common person hadlittle care or intelligence 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 have produced umpteen children whostarted life with a built in weakness, either mental or physical. Many woul ddie in childhood, but others who grew into manhood, might drag out a uselessexistance, dependent on charity for their sustenance. In general, infantmortality was extremely heavy....Once the child was free to crawl aboutamong the unsanitary rushes, with a childs innate instinct to put everythinginto its mouth, it is a wonder that any survived. Fromt then on disease andaccident would provide ample scope for a medical service, which was well-nigh non-existent. (Tomkeieff 119).Furthermore, the collective knowledge (what little there was) was held andpracticed by Monks in Monasteries.     In summary of medical practice to the end of 1400, it may be saidmedicine was practiced mostly by the clerics in monasteries and the laity whoselocus of operation was the apothecary shop. The physician thought surgery wasbeneath his dignity (to have blood on his hands and clothes) and left this touneducated barbers The practitioner carried the title Master, whereasteachers carried the title Doctor The physician was little advanced over theknowledge of Galens time. They still 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 rather than the body disease usually was