Why were people still reading Galen in the Middle Ages?
- Created by: ellastanbury
- Created on: 12-04-17 19:12
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- Why were people still reading Galen in the Middle Ages?
- The influence of the church.
- Galen's theories fitted with the ideas of the church so they promoted them. For example Galen believed in souls.
- Books were made in monasteries and libraries were maintained by the church
- The church controlled medical learning
- Pagan tribes were converted to Christianity and so it was very strong in the Middle Ages.
- Importance of book learning.
- A good physician was one who had read many books as not many could read.
- The authority of classical texts was so strong that people believed them even when there was evidence against them.
- Lack of alternatives
- Dissection was illegal (the church taught that the body had to be buried whole) and so there was a lack of scientific evidence.
- However, criminals could be sentenced to death by vivisection.
- The physician himself never did any examination, they read from Galen's works while the Barber surgeon did the work.
- Dissection was illegal (the church taught that the body had to be buried whole) and so there was a lack of scientific evidence.
- The collapse of the Roman Empire.
- Western Europe gradually split into smaller countries and tribes which were constantly at war.
- War disrupted trade, which made countries poorer, and war destroyed public health systems and medical libraries. Travel also became more dangerous.
- Rulers focused on building defences and armies instead of improving medical skills.
- Education and development of technology was disrupted and training doctors was abandoned.
- Western Europe gradually split into smaller countries and tribes which were constantly at war.
- The influence of the church.
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