Health Care in the Medieval Era was very different to today. No one knew what caused diseases back then. There was no knowledge of germs. Medieval peasants had been taught by the church that any illness was a punishment from God for sinful behaviour. Therefore, any illness was self-imposed, the result of the individual's behaviour.
Other theories put forward for diseases included "humours". It was believed that the body had four humours (fluids in the body) and if these became unbalanced the person became ill.
As no-one knew how diseases spread, no-one realized that a whole village living close to each other --- family upon family as it were --- meant that diseases, such as the black death, became rampant when they appeared and whole villages were wiped out.
Physicians, although considered skilled, had a very poor knowledge of the human anatomy when compared with our doctors today. These physicians charged for their services which meant that only the rich could afford their services. "Cures" included bleeding and the use of herbs. Interestingly --- we still use herbs today in many medicines.
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