Medieval medicine of Western Europe
Okay kiddo, let's talk about medicine in the olden days, specifically during the time of castles and knights in Western Europe.
Back then, people didn't have the same knowledge and tools that we have now to help them when they got sick or hurt. They believed that sickness was caused by evil spirits or bad luck, so they would often try to pray or use other superstitious methods to try and make themselves better.
However, there were some people who were trained to know a bit more about the human body and how to treat illnesses. These were the doctors, but they were few and far between, and mostly only available to the rich and powerful.
Medieval doctors would investigate a patient's symptoms by asking questions and examining the person's body. They believed that the body was made up of four "humors" - blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile - and that an imbalance of these humors caused illness.
To try and fix the balance of humors, doctors would use a variety of treatments. Some of these treatments were helpful, like washing wounds with clean water and applying bandages. Other treatments were not so helpful, like applying leeches to suck blood or prescribing medicines made of things like urine or animal feces.
There were also some people who practiced medicine without being trained as doctors - these were called "wise women" or "healers". They would use natural remedies like herbs, plants, and flowers to try and treat illnesses.
Despite their efforts, many people in the medieval era did not survive illnesses or injuries. Life was tough back then, but we owe a lot to the early doctors and healers who tried their best to help people stay healthy.
Back then, people didn't have the same knowledge and tools that we have now to help them when they got sick or hurt. They believed that sickness was caused by evil spirits or bad luck, so they would often try to pray or use other superstitious methods to try and make themselves better.
However, there were some people who were trained to know a bit more about the human body and how to treat illnesses. These were the doctors, but they were few and far between, and mostly only available to the rich and powerful.
Medieval doctors would investigate a patient's symptoms by asking questions and examining the person's body. They believed that the body was made up of four "humors" - blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile - and that an imbalance of these humors caused illness.
To try and fix the balance of humors, doctors would use a variety of treatments. Some of these treatments were helpful, like washing wounds with clean water and applying bandages. Other treatments were not so helpful, like applying leeches to suck blood or prescribing medicines made of things like urine or animal feces.
There were also some people who practiced medicine without being trained as doctors - these were called "wise women" or "healers". They would use natural remedies like herbs, plants, and flowers to try and treat illnesses.
Despite their efforts, many people in the medieval era did not survive illnesses or injuries. Life was tough back then, but we owe a lot to the early doctors and healers who tried their best to help people stay healthy.