Medieval Medicine

Medieval Medicine was practiced during the times of King Arthur and Sir Gawain. It was an imprecise science that yielded dubious results. The most common forms of treatment were based on the four humors of the body. A healthy person had a good balance of the four humors. When a person became ill it was believed to be caused by an imbalance of one of their humors. The four humors were black bile, blood, phlegm, and yellow bile. The four humors were very significant. They were symbolic of the seasons, the elements, and certain personality characteristics.
If a person was suffering from a cold it was believed that they had too much phlegm, which is characterized as being cold and wet. So, the remedy was to put a person to bed and have them drink wine. By doing so the doctor’s thought they could decrease the amount of phlegm or increase the yellow bile- which is the opposite of phlegm because it is hot and dry. If a person suffered from a hot, dry disease such as a fever then they had too much yellow bile so doctor would prescribe cold baths to try and increase the phlegm. Black Bile is cold and dry. It is the opposite of blood, which is hot and moist. Most of the best treatments were believed to be natural functions such as sneezing, sweating, crying, urinating, and defecating. Another common treatment was bloodletting. By keeping the four humors balanced, a doctor believed he could cure any disease.
The four humors were also very symbolic. They represented the four seasons. Black Bile was Autumn. Blood was Spring. Phlegm was Winter, and yellow bile was Summer. Like the four humors, it was essential that the four seasons also stayed balanced. Too long a winter or too hot a summer could ruin the crops and cause a famine. The four humors were also connected to the four elements. Black Bile was considered to be Earth. Blood was Air. Phlegm was Water, and yellow bile was Fire. The balance of the elements is crucial for the existence of life on this planet. Since the four humors are associated with such important parts of life, it shows the importance of them in the medieval times.
Lastly, the four humors were symbolic of certain personality traits. A person who was melancholic or forlorn was said to have too much black bile. Some one who was sanguine or cheerful and optimistic was said to have an excess of blood. An individual who was phlegmatic or impassive was said to have too much phlegm in their system. A person that was choleric or easily irritated was said to have too much yellow bile.
In conclusion, medieval doctors used inexact methods to treat and cure diseases in the Middle Ages. Many people believed that these methods were effective at curing diseases and as a result were willing to spend their money to be diagnosed and cured. Doctors were by no means poor. If a doctor was legitimately good, as is the one in The Canterbury Tales, they had no trouble making a living equal to that of a skilled laborer. Medieval Medicine is no longer used today and is considered to be