SL Magazine December 2008 - State Library of New South Wales

medieval medicine:not for the faint-heartedDr Carmel Bendon Davisrecently gave anentertaining talk at theLibrary about medievalmedicine, whichoriginated withHippocrates andaristotle, but wascommunicated to theWest through thewritings of galen.Here she recounts howeach person had apredominant ‘humour’and the terribleconsequences of one’shumour being out ofbalance!Falling ill in the middle ages was arisky business — the treatmentswere frequently more odious thanthe disease. Take, for example, theremedy for jaundice offered by Hildegardof Bingen, the 12th century Rhinelandvisionary. She advised sufferers to weara stunned bat (yes, of the flying kind)around their neck until the bat expired.To our modern sensibilities thisrecommendation seems useless at best,but it was a treatment entirely consistentwith the medieval understanding ofhuman physiology and illness.That understanding originated withHippocrates (460–377BC) and aristotle(384–324BC), but was developed,refined and transmitted to the Westvia the writings of galen (129–216aD),whose approach dominated the theoryand practice of medicine throughout themiddle ages.galenism regarded the humanbody as a microcosm of the vastmacrocosm of the known universe,which was believed to be made up offour elements: earth, fire, water and air.all things — animate and inanimate —were composed of various combinationsof these elements and of their contraries:cold, hot, moist and dry.Particular combinations of anytwo of the contraries produced ineach and every person one of fourmain complexions or temperaments,and an accompanying predominantbodily fluid (humour). For example, thecombination of hot and moist contrariesresulted in a sanguine temperamentand a predominance of blood inthe system; hot and dry contrariesproduced a choleric temperamentand a predominance of yellow bile; acold and dry combination resulted ina melancholic temperament and anaccompanying abundance of black bile,while a cold and moist mixture produceda phlegmatic individual, in possession ofa generous amount of phlegm.illness was understood to be adisturbance in a patient’s predominatinghumour, therefore the treatment aimedto restore the humeral balance. anoverabundance of blood in the system,Potatus or Potatoes from The Herballor Generall Historie of Plantes,John gerarde, 1597, mRB/ Q580/ gfor example, was often treated by theapplication of leeches. Herbs, with theirown particular humeral qualities, werea popular treatment, as was carefulattention to the patient’s diet. Cookedapples, for example, were consideredto be very beneficial for the sick, anda salve made from apple leaves wasgood for the eyes. The tansy herb wasfavoured as a treatment for catarrh,while a brew of comfrey, marigold, wildsage and yarrow was recommended toease the pain associated with bruising,following trauma.a physician would diagnose anillness by observing variations inthe colour, odour, appearance andconsistency of the patient’s excreta.The pulse was also thoroughly checked,and described according to suchvariables as strength and rhythm.if a patient had sustained an injury, orwas suffering from an ailment that couldnot be treated with herbs, purgativesor dietary adjustments, surgery wassometimes performed. This was perilousindeed given the total ignorance ofgerms. The possibility of a fatal infectionfollowing surgery was high.anaesthetics, too, were unknownand medieval patients had to undergoeverything from cataract surgery16magazine