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Ideas from the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church was extremely powerful in medieval England. It had a large role in training doctors and providing health care in infirmaries within monasteries. This meant that the Church heavily influenced ideas about the causes of disease and treatments throughout the medieval period.

Background

The Church supported the use of the teachings of the Roman doctor Galen. He believed that a greater being had created human life, so his ideas were compatible with Christian beliefs.

The Church controlled the teaching in universities. This meant Galen’s ideas continued to be followed and believed. This helped to encourage doctors to pursue natural causes and treatments of disease. Questioning the ideas of Galen was not encouraged.

Treatments

People within the Church believed that it was their duty to help people who needed it. This included health care provided at monasteries, often by monks. Priests would pray for people who were ill.

The Church’s role in medicine

Historians have debated whether the Church helped medicine in this period or whether it limited progress.

It could be argued that the Church helped in some ways:

• The Church was the only source of help for many people who were sick. The care provided by monasteries was free.
• Monks copied out the works of Galen and Hippocrates. This was important in preserving the work of ancient doctors and allowing those ideas to later be developed and challenged.

However, it could be argued that the Church’s influence limited progress:

• The Church limited the ability of doctors to challenge or question the ideas of ancient doctors.
• Many treatments were based on the belief that God caused disease and that prayer could provide a cure for any illness.