ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Byzantine medicine

Byzantine medicine is a type of medicine that was practiced a very long time ago in a place called the Byzantine Empire. It was a time when people didn't have the same understanding of health and medicine as they do now. Doctors during Byzantine times believed that the body was made up of four different "humors" or fluids: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. These humors were thought to affect a person's health and personality.

Byzantine doctors used a lot of natural remedies and herbal extracts to treat illnesses. They believed in the power of prayer, fasting, and good exercise to help people feel better, too. Plus, they were very careful about cleanliness and hygiene, which helped prevent the spread of sickness.

But even though they knew a lot about natural remedies, there were some things that Byzantine doctors still didn't understand. For example, they believed that diseases could be caused by things like bad smells, bad air, or even the alignment of the planets! That might sound silly to us now, but back then, they didn't have the same science and technology that we have today.

Overall, Byzantine medicine was a mix of some good ideas and some not-so-good ideas. But it was an important part of history and helped pave the way for the medical knowledge and practices we have today.