Medieval medicine from 500-1400 AD relied heavily on superstition and religion. Common diseases like plague, smallpox, and influenza were treated with herbs, bloodletting, and prayer. Surgeons set bones and performed basic procedures without anesthesia. The establishment of medical schools and hospitals in the later Middle Ages helped increase life expectancy from 35 to over 40 years by 1400.

1. Medieval Peroid Medicine
(AD 500-1400)

2. Introduction
 In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period
lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of
theWestern Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and
the Age of Discovery
 The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional
divisional of European history, out of classical antiquity, the
medieval period & the modern period
 Medieval period is also called as dark age(Period of ignorance).
Medieval period is itself sub divided into early, high & late middle
age.

3. Common
diseases
existed
 Plagues
 Small pox
 The evil eye
 Dysentery
 Influenza
 Leprosy
 Typhoid fever
BLACK DEATH killed 30–60% of Europe's total population

4. Believes,
diagnosis,
treatments
and cause
Believes
Early
 Ancient prescription
 magic and charms
 Knowledge from book
 Religion
 Astrology/ Zodiac sign
 Superstitious believes
Later
 4 humours
 Disease and Smell
 Hospital
Diagnosis
 Checking
pulse
 Urine
check
 Astrologic
al charts
 Lifestyle
 Prayer
Treatment
Herbs
Leech
Charms/spell
lifestyle
Prayers
Blood letting
Surgery
Cause:
War
Lack of knowledge (cleanliness)
Poverty

5. Doctors
and
Hospitals in
Medieval
Period
 Healer
 Barber surgeon
 There was no hospital in early age..
 Monastery church became first hospital people seek for when
they are sick
 Later mid age hospitals were established, 3 year education was
required to become doctor

6. Medicine/
Treatments
Herbal
 Medieval Medicine to treat Headache and Aching joints
Head Pains were treated with sweet-smelling herbs such as rose, lavender, sage, and
bay. A mixture of henbane and hemlock were applied to aching joints. Coriander was
used to reduce a fever.
 Middle Ages Medicine to treat Stomach Pains and Sickness
 Stomach pains and sickness were treated with wormwood, mint, and balm.
 Middle Ages Medicine to treat Lung Problems
 Lung problems were given the medical treatment of a medicine made of liquorice
and comfrey. Horehound cough syrups and drinks were prescribed for chesty and
head-colds and coughs.
 Middle Ages Medicine to treatWounds
 Wounds were cleaned and vinegar was widely used as a cleansing agent as it was
believed that it would kill disease. Mint was also used in treating venom and
wounds. Myrrh was used as an antiseptic on wounds.Yarrow, or Achilles was used
to treat headaches and wounds, especially battle wounds.
SuperstitiousTreatments
• Warts
Hold a living toad next to skin to soften it.
• Boils
Cut a pigeon in to half and rub it into the swollen area
• Fainting
Burn feathers and breath in smoke

7. Painful
methods/
surgery
Trepanning is a surgical procedure
that involves the drilling or boring
of a hole into the human skull
 An anesthetic potion. Surgery in the Medieval era
was performed only when the patient was in
life/death condition because even the anesthesia in
surgeries often led to death.
Needles for cataract surgery:
A thick needle was used to remove a
cataract from the eye. Medieval
surgeons used either a sharp pointed
knife or a thick needle to push the
cornea to the back of the eye, which
they thought helped somehow
 Medieval physicians believed that
any kind of illness was caused by the
excess fluid in the body.They
thought if excess blood is taken
from the body, the internal
mechanism would normalize and
remove the illness.

8. Tools used in
Medieval
Period
 Stone Extractor: Surgeons inserted
the screw tip of the extractor and
widened up the path to the stone or
shrapnel inside the body so it could be
taken out.
Arrow-Remover:This scissor-like object was
used to grasp and pull the arrow from the
wounded soldier's body.

9. Medical
Progress/
Significant
discoveries in
Medieval Period
 Cadaver (Dissection of dead body)
 Establishment of first Medical School in Salerno
 Establishment of hospitals
 Anaesthesia
 Antiseptic
 Differentiate blood and vein
 Plastic Surgery
 Oral surgery

10. Life
Expectancy in
Medieval
Period
The MiddleAges was a grim time to be poorly. In 1400, the average
age of death was perhaps 35.

11. conclusion
The events happened in the middles ages were
unfortunate, but also needed to ne where we are today,
These events build the base of our medical works today
with enabling people to become doctor, teach them in
school and understanding the body more

12. Reference
http://www.medieval-spell.com/Medieval-Medicine.html
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/a-
historyofmedicine/medicine-in-the-middle-ages/
http://www.articlesonhistory.com/medieval-medicine.php
http://abpischools.org.uk/res/coResourceImport/resources04/his
tory/history5.cfm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/shp/middleag
es/medievalcivilisationrev3.shtml
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?gro
upid=476&HistoryID=aa52&gtrack=pthc
http://www.bl.uk/the-middle-ages/articles/medicine-diagnosis-
and-treatment-in-the-middle-ages