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The majority of people in medieval England were unable to afford to visit a physician when they were ill. Therefore, they relied on various people in the community for treatment.

Traditional beliefs

A common belief in medieval England was that illness was caused by an imbalance of the four humours in the body. If blood was thought to be out of balance, then people would carry out bloodletting. This treatment might involve:

• cutting into a vein
• using leeches
• placing heated cups over a cut or scratch

It was also believed that food caused the humours to become imbalanced. To overcome this, people would rid the body of leftover food. Patients were given something to make them vomit or a laxative to clear their bowels.

The community also followed Galen’s ideas. For example, if an ill person was believed to have too much phlegm (demonstrating characteristics that were cold and wet), they would be given a treatment that was hot and dry, such as eating a hot pepper. Or, if they were believed to have too much yellow bile (hot and dry), they would be given a cold treatment, such as drinking water.

Barber surgeons

Barber surgeons would carry out basic surgery, such as bloodletting, sewing up wounds and removing growths from the outside of the body. They learned their skills from watching others and reading books about surgery.

Family traditions and treatments

Most people in medieval England were treated by female family members, such as their wife or mother. Traditions and treatments were passed down from one family member to the next. Sometimes individual women would be viewed as particularly knowledgeable about treatments and remedies. They were known as ‘wise women’.

Herbal treatments

The most common treatments were made from herbs, minerals, plants and animal parts. Books contained instructions on how to mix the ingredients and specified prayers to be said at the same time. There were successful herbal treatments for infection that included honey, which we still use today. Linseed was used as a laxative and is also still used today for this purpose.

Apothecaries

Sometimes, people in the community would visit an apothecary when they required a treatment for illness - though this cost money. Similarly to wise women, apothecaries mixed together the ingredients for herbal treatments as described above. They did this for physicians and they also mixed their own herbal treatments, which they sold to the sick. Apothecaries learned how to mix these treatments from other apothecaries.