Impact on medicine and public health after the romans

The public health system collapse after the Roman Empire, which gradually stopped working or were destroyed by the war.
Although many towns were abandoned people went back to living as farmers in villages, when the towns started to grow again it meant that they were far more unhygienic. Disease therefor was more of a problem. Physicians also disappeared because:
-books and libraries where medical knowledge had been kept were destroyed
-the new rulers were illiterate and not interested in educating doctors anyway.

• people no longer travelled very far so couldn't travel to obtain learning and training.
• the increase in poverty meant that people could not afford a trained physician.

The rich might consult a physician who's ideas were based around the four humours concept and the theory of opposites. Galens ideas continued to be the basis of medical training for doctors.
Galen had been particularly keen on using bloodletting, both as a healing method and a way to prevent illness.