Preventing disease in the medieval period
Treatments for disease in the Middle Ages could not always be relied upon to be effective. Therefore, there was a strong focus on stopping people becoming ill. People in medieval times took a variety of steps to try to prevent disease.
Religious actions
It was believed disease could be prevented by the following religious actions:
- living a life free from sin
- attending church services and processionMoving along an orderly line in a formal and ceremonious fashion
- prayer - people prayed for God鈥檚 forgiveness of their sins
- pilgrimageA journey which has religious or spiritual significance, usually to an important religious place.
- wearing magical or religious charms
- fastingTo abstain from all food and drink, typically as a religious observance. - people did this to show they were sorry for their sins
- flagellantA person who would whip themself to show God they were sorry for their sins. Sometimes, people asked flagellants to whip them to demonstrate that they were sorry for their sins. - some people whipped themselves in public and asked God to forgive their sins
Pilgrimages, fasting and flagellation were all activities that would allow people to experience suffering, as Christians believed Jesus had done when he was crucifyRoman method of execution by nailing someone to a cross, often until they die of asphyxiation; used on Jesus and many others. Suffering, through these methods or because of illness, was accepted. This was because it let people consider their Christian faith more closely.
Purifying the air
The miasmaSmells from decomposing material, such as animal and human waste, that were thought to cause disease. theory indicated that unclean air could make people unwell. People tried to prevent disease and illness by cleaning the streets to make sure the air was clean. People would also try to prevent breathing in bad air by:
- carrying posies - bunches of sweet-smelling herbs and flowers
- lighting fires to drive away any bad air and sometimes burning herbs or substances to 鈥榗lean鈥 the air
- ringing bells or allowing birds to fly around the house to keep the air moving
Medieval towns, especially in late medieval England, worked hard to keep their streets clean. They did this by:
- employing rakerA person who was paid to pick up waste from the streets of medieval towns and dispose of it. to keep the streets clean
- punishing people if they threw waste onto the streets - waste was not just everyday rubbish, as it could include human excrement as well
- making butchers dispose of their waste outside the city walls
- building public public latrinesPublic toilets, often built on bridges, so that the waste could be taken away by the river.
Other methods of prevention
People were advised by the Church and physician A person who practises medicine. to wash regularly, exercise and rest to balance the four humoursFour bodily fluids 鈥 yellow bile, black bile, blood and phlegm 鈥 used in ancient times to analyse and describe people's state of health. This would ensure they stayed healthy and therefore avoided disease. People are advised to look after our health in these ways today, but this is because society now possesses more accurate scientific knowledge about the body and the spread of disease.