On this page, we explore the fascinating world of medical practices in 14th-century England. A range of carefully selected discussion points, supported by both primary and secondary sources, enables Key Stage 3 students to explore the evidence and understand the different arguments and interpretations surrounding medieval medicine.
Talking Point 1 - To what extent did medieval doctors in England rely on the works of Galen and Hippocrates?
Source 1 - John Arderne, physician 1300s England
- John Arderne – Treatises of Fistula in ano Haemorrhoids and Clysters
- Where?- Page 32
- Type- Primary source
- Middle English I sawe a man of Northamptoun [Vidi et alium hominem sc. Iohan: Colyn de Northampton.] þat had þre holes in þe lefte buttok, and þre in þe testicleȝ codde, and al persed fro oon to anoþer by þe middeȝ of longaon; whom I cured wiþ cuttyng of al þe holes at oon tyme, of longaon as wele as of oþer. Of þe kuttyng, forsoþe, of longaon, blode went strongly out, for þe fistule was riȝt depe; wherefore þe pacient swowned; perfore I putte to a sponge wette in cold watir and receyued þe blode. Aftirward I put in þe kuttyng of longaon restrictyues of blode, of whiche it is seid aboue, and a gode sponge y-wette in cold watre. I made þe pacient for to sitte in a chayer, and als soon þe blod was cesed. And aftir refetyng of mete and drink, he went into his bedde and sleped wele all þe niȝt
- Modern English I saw a man from Northampton who had three openings in his left buttock and three in his scrotum, with all of them connected to one another by passages running through the tissue. I cured him by cutting open all the openings at the same time, including those in the tissue between them. When I cut into this tissue, a great deal of blood came out because the fistula was very deep. As a result, the patient fainted. I therefore applied a sponge soaked in cold water to collect the blood. Afterwards, I applied the blood-stopping medicines described above to the cut, together with a good sponge soaked in cold water. I made the patient sit in a chair, and as soon as the bleeding stopped, he recovered. After eating and drinking, he went to bed and slept well throughout the night.
- Analysis- This source paints a picture of 14th century medicine, particularly surgery, in a positive light. We see the control of bleeding, attention to cleanliness and moreover a successfully performed operation.
- Citation"Treatises of fistula in ano : haemorrhoids, and clysters / by John Arderne." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ArderneFistula. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed August 4, 2026.
Source 2 - The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England
- Ian Mortimer – The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England
- Where?- Page 192
- Type- Secondary
- Background- This source is taken from his chapter on Health and Hygiene, in which he describes the medical practices and beliefs of medics working in the Late Middle Ages, as well as the superstitions and beliefs regarding health that prevail in 14th-century England.
- Quote- 'Medicine as taught in the leading Christian universities is heavily influenced by the teachings of two men from the ancient world, Galen and Hippocrates'
- Analysis- This source provides an interesting contrast with the primary source presented by John Arderne in his 14th-century work Treatises of Fistula in ano, Haemorrhoids and Clysters. While Arderne's work shows a physician applying practical experience and observation, Mortimer, writing around 700 years later, illustrates the influence of a conservative medical culture that relied heavily on the ideas of the ancient Greeks. These sources provide an opportunity for students and teachers to practise comparison, interpretation and evaluation of historical sources. However, we also need to recognise a distinction between the two sources. On the one hand Galen was a proponent of the practice of bloodletting as a healthcare practice, John of Arderne, in his operation views actively tries to stem the loss of blood. He is dealing with a real surgical problem and responding practically.
- Citation- The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England, Ian Mortimer, A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century, Vintage Books, published 2009.
Source 3 - Medieval medicine - medicine stands still - AQA
- BBC Bitesize – The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England
- Where?- The Four Humors
- Source Type- Secondary
- Background- This video is part of a series by the BBC Bitesize team, in which they help prepare students for their GCSE exams. Galen's ideas about the purposeful design of the human body could be seen as compatible with Christian belief that God had deliberately created the body and its organs for particular purposes. This meant that medieval Christian thinkers could incorporate Galenic ideas into their understanding of God's creation, even though Galen himself was not a Christian. In fact, not only do the writers of this video suggest an alignment between Galen's teaching and the Church, they even suggest the Church actively discouraged more critical approaches to medicine.
- Quote 1- Galen's theories suited the Church's notion of there being only one god, who created humans and their body parts...for a purpose. Doctors' treatments were still based on Hippocrates' 'Four Humours,' and with most people not being able to afford them anyway...they turned instead to apothecaries, monks, and wise-men, who had about as much medical knowledge as one of Galen's apes. It really was monkey business.
- Quote 2- So we finish these 450 medieval years almost where we started: Galen's influence still overshadowed medical thought; people believed superstitions and prayer could cure all; medicinewas strangled by the over-reaching arms of the Church;....
- Analysis- Taken together, these quotes present the Church as having exercised considerable influence over medieval medical learning, helping to preserve Galenic and traditional approaches to diagnosis and treatment while discouraging more critical or empirical approaches to medicine. The student, and teacher, may want to watch the video and read the transcript, alongside other sources to decide whether the influence of the church over medicine in this period is overstated.
- Citation: - The Four Humours .
Source 4 - John Arderne, The Celandine Prison Remedy / Ut carcer aliquem non possit detinere
- John Arderne – Liber medicinarum (Book of Medical Remedies), 14th century
- Source Type- Primary
- Background- Returning now to the writings associated with John Arderne, we find in the Liber Medicinarum (Book of Medical Remedies) a strikingly different side to the same medical practitioner. Alongside his sophisticated surgical practice, we encounter remedies involving religious ritual and supernatural beliefs. The manuscript is a collection of medical remedies, yet among these we find an extraordinary “experiment” intended to protect a person from imprisonment. It instructs the reader to collect the herb celandine on the eve of the feast of Saint Peter, recite Christian prayers, and carry the herb on their person so that no prison could 'hold them'. What does Arderne appear to believe the celandine will actually do? Does the source suggest physical strength, invisibility, supernatural protection, or something else?
- Quote 1-
- Latin - Ut carcer aliquem non possit detinere. Vade ad herbam que dicitur celedonia et collige eam in vigilia Sancti Petri dicens Pater Noster et ave in honore Dei et Sancti Petri ad Vincula et portet super te et carcer te non retinebit. Experimentum est probatum
- English Translation- So that a prison cannot hold someone. Go to the plant that is called celandine and collect it on the eve of the feast of Saint Peter saying the Pater Noster and Ave in the grace of God and St Peter ad Vincula and carry it on you and no prison will hold you. This experiment is proved
- Citation: - ‘An experiment pervyd for a thynge y lost’: ‘Non-medical’ Charms and experimenta in Medieval Medical Manuscripts, Oxford Academic,Social History of Medicine