Medieval Treatments

There were a variety of ways disease could be diagnosed and treated.  We have already looked at the role of the Church and of the Four Humours.

During the Middle Ages urine charts were also a popular way to diagnose illness.  The patient would give a doctor a sample of urine.  The doctor would examine it, by looking at it, smelling it - even tasting it!  The urine would be compared to a chart and the doctor would diagnose the illness.  Again this is basically a good idea and testing urine is still done today, but it is not used to diagnose illness on its own.

Astronomical charts were also used to diagnose disease and offer treatments.  By examining the stars and using your birthday or star sign doctors would prescribe different treatments to different people.

There were also Humoural treatments, or treatments designed to get your humours back in balance.  The most common was bloodletting; this could be done by using leeches, by cupping or by cutting veins.  The word for blood letting is phlebotomy.  Find out more by linking to the Science Museum.

Purging was another way to get the humours in balance; purging was a way of making you be sick or  vomit.  It was also a way of making you open your bowels - in other words give you diarrhoea.  An emetic was given to make people sick and a laxative to make them go to the toilet.  These treatments were often a mixture of herbs or even poisons.