Medicine - Who treated the sick c1350

?

Physicians

  • Medically trained at university and required to pass exams
  • Diagnosed illnesses and gave treatments, or sent patients to the apothecary or barber surgeon
  • Expensive so mainly used by the wealthy
  • Very few of themwith women physicians incredibly rare
1 of 5

Apothecaries

  • Received training but no medical qualifications
  • Mixed medicines and ointments based on their own knowledge
  • Cost money (but less than a physician)
2 of 5

Housewife Physicians

  • Usually a village "wise woman" or lady of the manor who treated local people
  • Dealt with childbirth and common injuries/illnesses
  • Mixed herb and plant remedies. Also used charms and spells
  • The cheapest and most accessible option
3 of 5

Monks and Nuns

  • Free
  • Ran hospitals using Church donations. Cared for the elderly or poor (rather than people with common diseases)
  • Some hospitals ran for specific diseases, such as leprosy - kept sufferers away from others
4 of 5

Barber Surgeons

  • No training
  • Carried out bloodletting, pulling teeth and lancing boils
  • Did basic surgery such as amputating limbs (with a very low success rate)
  • Cost less than a physician
5 of 5

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar History resources:

See all History resources »See all Medicine through time (OCR History A) resources »