Transcript Medieval Public Health

Medieval Public Health
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Fall of the Roman Empire
• The Roman Empire grew until it could no
longer control its borders successfully.
Barbarian tribes overran the western parts of
the empire, and by AD 500 Europe consisted
of many small, feuding tribal kingdoms. These
kingdoms were often at war with each other.
• The Romans public health systems fell into
disrepair and misuse
• Public health regressed
Wars
• Frequent wars in the Middle Ages meant that many
of the Roman developments were lost
• Roman Building, health systems and libraries were
destroyed.
• It was now dangerous to travel, so communications
were limited, and there were far fewer opportunities
for doctors to learn or train
Peasant Life
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Most people in medieval Europe worked the land as peasants
Most peasants lived in single room ground floor wooden huts.
Animals such as cows, pigs, and chickens lived close by behind a partition. In the
evening and in winter animals would share the main living space with the humans.
Rats were a major problem in medieval towns and villages, attracted to the filth
and thatch of the roofs they bred quickly and spread epidemics like the Black
Death in 1348.
Peasant’s huts were badly lit and badly ventilated. Glass was expensive so
windows scarce.
Peasant’s homes contained an open fire for heat and cooking. Huts were smoky
and polluted.
Whole families shared one tiny room making infection spread quickly when it
occurred.
There were no proper toilets or sewerage disposal facilities in either the villages or
the towns just cesspits built too close to wells and rivers.
A peasant’s diet was restricted and unreliable. Black rye bread and weak soup and
stew were staple foods. There was no way of preserving food other than by using
salt. Malnutrition and starvation were commonplace.
Medieval Public Health
• In the absence of strong government, medieval villages and
towns were filthy.
• Rubbish and human waste was just thrown into the streets
and the streets were unpaved so impossible to keep clean.
• Rivers used for drinking water were also used for washing
which spread disease.
• Cesspits were built too close to wells and rivers and were
not built of stone so would just leak into the water supply.
• Government was not strong enough, rich enough or
interested enough to impose proper hygiene and public
health facilities on the people.
• Even if they wanted to it was impossible to keep unpaved
streets clean.
Medicine and Public Health Regressed
• In addition to the terrible killer epidemics like the Black Death, diseases
like St Anthony’s Fire causing ulcers and flesh rotting were commonly
spread by the fungus found on mouldy bread.
• Other common diseases such as St Vitus Dance and Leprosy were linked to
poor hygiene and public health.
• Life was short with a life expectancy of just thirty years.
• In the face of serious disease and epidemics that couldn’t be understood
or cured people resorted to supernatural and religious explanations.
• The all powerful Roman Catholic Church was hostile to new ideas.
• The Church taught that all you needed to know about medicine had been
discovered by the Ancient thinkers Hippocrates and Galen. People who
disagreed were punished.
• Doctors were trained in Church approved Universities so tended never to
question church teachings.
• Roman public health systems which had been funded and excellent fell
into disrepair.
Conclusion
• A combination of factors caused medieval
medicine and public health to regress – weak
government, powerful religion, poor
education and the damaging impact of war.