Medieval medicine

The Black Death

In the 1340s, thousands of people were killed by a disease spreading round the world - this was the Black Death. It reached Britain in 1348, killing a third of the population.

Symptoms:

• Swelling of the lymph glands into large lumps filled with pus (known as buboes)
• Fever and chills
• Headache
• Vomitting, diarrhea and abdominal pain

Treatments:

• Praying and holding lucky charms
• Cutting open buboes to drain the pus
• Holding bread against the buboes, then burying it in the ground
• Eating cool things and taking lots of baths