Knowra Medieval medicine Medieval medicine Medical theory and practice in Europe during the Middle Ages combined inherited Greek and Roman learning, practical observation, and religious institutions.
Humoral theory : A medical framework that explains health through the balance of blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Its balance of four bodily fluids supplied a common explanation for illness and temperament.
Medieval surgery : The use of manual procedures to treat wounds, fractures, stones, and other conditions in the Middle Ages. Surgeons applied practical skills where medicines and regimen could not suffice.
School of Salerno : A medical teaching center in southern Italy that flourished from the eleventh century onward. Salerno helped establish learned medical instruction in Latin Europe.
Trotula : The name associated with medieval Latin writings on women's health linked to the School of Salerno. The Trotula texts preserve influential discussions of gynecology, childbirth, and women's care.
Ancient Greek medicine : Medical theories and practices developed in the Greek world, including naturalistic explanations of disease. It supplied foundational authorities and concepts that medieval medicine inherited.
Galen : A Greek physician whose writings on anatomy, physiology, and treatment shaped medicine for centuries. Medieval physicians inherited many of their core medical authorities through Galen.
Medieval hospitals : Institutions that provided lodging, care, and religious charity to sick and poor people in medieval Europe. Hospitals made care institutional, though many served broader charitable purposes than cure alone.
Translation movement : The medieval transfer of scholarly works among languages, especially from Greek and Arabic into Latin. Latin translations expanded access to medical texts and commentaries.
Hildegard of Bingen : A twelfth-century German abbess, writer, and composer whose works include writings on natural history and healing. Her medical and natural writings show monastic engagement with remedies and the body.
Islamic medicine : Medical scholarship and practice across societies shaped by Islam, including translation, commentary, and original works. It developed alongside European traditions and transmitted major texts into Latin medicine.
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