Surprising virtually all medical observers failed to make the connection between plague and the plethora of dead rats that preceded an epidemic.
Preventative steps were always urged, as Doctors recognised the inadequacies of their curative abilities.
Best preventative measure was prayer. Purgation through laxatives, diuretics, phlebotomy, and cutery was encouraged. Diet was important, too much sleep was bad.
Some Christian doctors were often more scientific when discussing cures.
Beyong purgatives, bleeding and the latter's allied treatments, cautery and cupping, there was little advice.
Virtually all authorities believed that there was no sure cure - one of the most important legacies of the plague, served to changed medical practice.
Failure of medical profession was widely noted, discussed and criticised.
Organised medicine, particularly the university trained physicians, suffered blow to its prestige and confidence.
Medieval science was unable to change and respond successfully to its greatest challenge.
1 of 4
Effective? Responses change? Major impact?
Robert Gottfried:
Early Modern:
New role of hospitals. Before Black death, hospitals were institutions designed primarily to isolate, rather than cure, the sick. After the plague, this began to change - some hospitals remained isolation wards but a substantial began to try and cure their sick patients.
New techniques in management and organisation, e.g. divided into wards.
Advances in public health and sanitation. By the 16th century, public health was a common phenomenon in most of Europe's urban centres (examples of boards of health).
2 of 4
Effective? Responses change? Major impact?
Moote A and D:
Medieval:
Medical practitioners were overwhelmed by the plague as a whole, so largely fell back on traditional methods and treatments as a result.
Evidence: case study of Nathaniel Hodges - trusted the college's traditional Galenic way of fighting diseases by adjusting the individual's humours through bleeding, purging, sweating and vomiting.
Also advocated opening the pores and calming the spirits with liquors and soporifics to achieve a balance of the humours, replacing their 'dis-ease' with a healthy 'ease'.
Early Modern:
However, some progress towards modernisation was made.
The founding of the Royal Society, a new forum for medical practitioners to discuss their theories created calls for 'renovation', 'reform' and 'renewal'
BUT, faced resistance from most members of the college of physicians, however some members welcomed the attempt to integrate medicine and the new science.
3 of 4
Effective? Responses change? Major impact?
Paul Slack:
Early Modern:
Advised against 'general assemblies' of several congregations, instead ordering services in every parish church where 'prudent' care should be taken 'to keep the sick from the whole'.
Special manual of plague prayers for private use by householders, recommended that houses should be 'perfumed...with frankicense' before prayers were said.
Clapham - dismissed all natural explanations for plague and attributed everything to divine providence.
If a true believer dies of the pestilence, it was because of his lack of faith, not because he neglected natural remedies.
Despite continuing reliance on authority, and a heavy dependence on traditional medicines, there was a marked increased in the amount of contemporary comment and personal reflection in the plague literature.
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