Medical Treatments In The Middle Ages

Even though many medical methods of the Middle Ages were questionable, many are still used today. These unique treatments were used because most people didn’t live long in the extremely poor conditions. During the Middle Ages, many crude medical methods and treatments were used. Some of these treatments included using live animals and insects, or very unsanitary tools. Also, most people lived in very poor and dirty conditions leading to more illnesses to spread. For example, throughout the Middle Ages, breakouts of leprosy, Black Death, and smallpox would add to the dirty living conditions. Also, hospitals were very small and tightly packed. A hospital bed was the biggest purchase a hospital would make for the rooms. Hospitals also performed

These treatments are bizarre because of the odd ingredients and how it helped a person's illness. For example, St. Paul’s Potion for epilepsy or stomach problems was very different. The ingredients included, liquorice, sage, willow, ginger, cinnamon, fennel, and cormorant blood. All of these are an accurate substitute for taking an aspirin, cough medicine, or drinking a ginger ale. In order to treat a cough in the Middle Ages, the treatment was to mix the juice of horehound with diapendion and eat it. Another example, a treatment used for burns and scalds was to rub a live snail for the slime. The slime is used to try and soothe the burn. Many of these methods are used in a similar way today. Such as the use of a slug for its slime on a burn. The slime is similar to using Aloe Vera on a burn. Still, some of these Middle Ages treatments and methods are still used today. One example is trephining. Trephining is a surgical treatment that is used to make a big hole. This surgical treatments involves a trephine, an instrument used to cut a hole in the patient's head. This is similar to a surgery performed today used to take pressure off the brain. Another medical treatment still used today is, leech therapy. Leech therapy was for when blood was involved. For example, if someone were to be outside fighting and lose their ear, in the Middle Ages, nurses would apply