Ideas: supernatural and religious (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Notes
Ideas: supernatural and religious (c1250-c1500)
During the mediaeval period in England, medical understanding was dominated by religious and supernatural beliefs. The Catholic Church held enormous influence over society, and this extended deeply into how people understood health, illness, and treatment.
The ruins of mediaeval abbeys like this one remind us of the Church's central role in mediaeval life. Monasteries were not just places of worship, but also centres of learning where medical knowledge was preserved and taught.
God and the cause of disease
Mediaeval people firmly believed that God was the ultimate cause of all illness and disease. The Church taught that when people became sick, it was because God was either displeased with their behaviour or testing their faith. This religious explanation for illness was widely accepted throughout mediaeval society.
This belief system wasn't just a minor influence on mediaeval medicine - it was the foundation of how most people understood illness. The idea that God controlled health and sickness was taught from childhood and reinforced throughout daily life.
Critical Impact on Medical Progress
Since illness was seen as God's will, many people viewed it as something that should be accepted rather than challenged. The focus was often on prayer, repentance, and spiritual healing rather than investigating the physical causes of disease. This religious understanding of illness meant that few people questioned traditional medical practices or sought to develop new treatments.
The Church's teaching about divine causation of disease also reinforced the idea that recovery depended on God's mercy and the patient's spiritual state. This created a medical system where religious devotion was considered just as important as any physical treatment.
The role of astrology
Alongside religious beliefs, mediaeval medicine placed great importance on astrology. People believed that the alignment and movement of planets and stars directly influenced human health and could cause various diseases. This wasn't simply superstition - astrology was considered a legitimate medical tool used by educated physicians to diagnose illnesses and plan treatments.
Astrological medicine involved studying celestial charts to understand what was wrong with patients. Doctors would examine the position of planets at the time when someone fell ill, believing this would reveal the cause of their condition. Different parts of the body were thought to be governed by different celestial bodies, so the movement of specific planets could affect particular organs or systems.
Worked Example: Astrological Diagnosis
A mediaeval physician treating a patient with chest pain might:
Step 1: Check the planetary positions when the illness began Step 2: Identify which celestial body governed the chest (often the Sun or Mars) Step 3: Examine the current alignment to understand the cause Step 4: Plan treatment timing based on favourable planetary movements
This process was considered as scientifically valid as any other diagnostic method of the time.
The use of astrology in medicine wasn't entirely new in 1250, but it became increasingly popular throughout the mediaeval period. This growth was particularly notable after the Black Death in the 14th century, when people desperately sought explanations for the devastating plague that killed millions across Europe.
The Church's control of ideas
The Catholic Church exercised enormous control over medical education and knowledge during this period. Most formal learning took place in institutions run by the Church, including the universities where physicians received their training. This meant that the Church had significant influence over what medical ideas were taught and accepted.
Monks and priests were among the few people who could read and write, giving them control over medical texts and knowledge. The largest collections of books, including medical manuscripts, were housed in monasteries. This concentration of literacy and learning in religious institutions meant that the Church could effectively determine which medical ideas were promoted or suppressed.
The Church particularly supported the medical theories of Galen, an ancient Greek physician whose ideas fitted well with Christian beliefs. Galen's theory that the body had a soul and that all parts were created by God to work together in harmony aligned perfectly with Christian theology. The Church promoted these traditional explanations for disease and discouraged new ideas that might challenge established religious doctrine.
When dissections were performed at universities, they were primarily used to confirm Galen's teachings about anatomy rather than to discover new knowledge. If dissections revealed anything that contradicted Galen's theories, these findings were typically ignored or dismissed.
Major Limitation on Medical Progress
This approach severely limited medical progress, as it prevented the development of new understanding about the human body and disease. The Church's insistence on maintaining traditional theories meant that potentially groundbreaking discoveries were often suppressed or ignored if they contradicted established doctrine.
The Church also emphasised the importance of caring for the sick, following Jesus's example of helping those in need. Many hospitals during this period were housed in monasteries and nunneries, where monks and nuns provided care based on religious principles combined with traditional medical practices.
Timeline
1250 - Church dominance over medical ideas firmly established c1300-1400 - Increased use of astrology in medicine 1347-1351 - Black Death leads to greater reliance on astrological explanations Throughout period - Galen's theories remain dominant due to Church support
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- The Catholic Church dominated mediaeval society and controlled medical education, limiting new ideas and discoveries
- People believed God caused illness either as punishment for sin or as a test of faith, making spiritual healing as important as physical treatment
- Astrology was considered a legitimate medical tool, with physicians using planetary alignments to diagnose diseases and plan treatments
- The Church promoted Galen's ancient theories because they fitted with Christian beliefs about the body having a soul created by God
- Religious and supernatural explanations for disease prevented people from investigating physical causes, significantly slowing medical progress