Chapter 20Part 2

Life ExpectancyMedical Improvements

Religion

Increased Life Expectancy in the 18th Century

European life spans increased from 25 to 45 years in the 18th Century

Due to the disappearance of starvation and the plague

More time spent by children on education and preparation for adulthood

Public Health Improvements

New Practices in sanitation Mass vaccinations Better clothing Better housing Adequate foods (and variety)

Diets prior the the 18th Century

Grain was awesomely important Dark bread made of rye and ground

wheat Most peasants ate two pounds of

bread a day and washed it down with water, green beer, etc.

Grain was also added to soups and gruel

In Scotland, people ate oatmeal…often half-cooked so it would swell in the stomach and make the eater feel full

Belief in a “just price” The medieval view that bread should

be affordable even to the poor was overturned with free market capitalism and the corn laws

Many poor had to resort to eating vegetables!

They believed that vegetables, especially raw, was fit food for livestock only!

Milk was rarely drunk Many held the belief that milk

caused sore eyes and headaches for all but the very young and the very old

Most milk was used to make cheese and butter (which the poor could rarely afford)

They did drink whey…the leftover liquid after milk was churned…watery

During the 18th Century Diets improved radically Poor people’s diets usually consisted

of grains and vegetables The potato improved the diets of the

poor (vitamins A and C) (lack of C =Scurvy)

Average Irish male ate 8-10 lbs a day)

The potato kept poor populations alive

Greater variety of veggies available in towns and cities

The Upper Classes Consumed more meat, fish, alcohol,

white bread Less fruit and vegetables

Often greater affluence meant poorer nutrition (sugar, white bread, meat)

Northern Europeans ate better than those in Mediterranean and South

The English ate the best of all

Medical Improvements The biggest improvement was the

smallpox vaccine

In the 17th century 25% of deaths in England was due to smallpox

Smallpox killed 60 million in the 18th century

Was contracted by 80% of Europeans…many scarred for life

Edward Jenner 1749-1823

Introduced the vaccine for smallpox Thus created the foundation for the

science of immunology

He discovered that inoculating people with cowpox would control the onset of small pox

Late 18th Century Humanitarianism

Influenced Hospital reform Belief that disease was caused by

“bad air” Ventilation was improved Filth was cleaned up

The spread of infection was reduced The first humane mental hospital

1790 in England

In the 18th Century An increase in the number of medical

practitioners When breakthroughs occurred, word

spread rapidly

Many different medical practitioners: faith healers, apothecaries (pharmacists), physicians, surgeons, midwives

Women were denied admission to medical colleges and were denied certificates and diplomas so were generally limited to midwifery and faith healing

Faith Healers Believed in demons and evil spirits

as causes of ailments Believed that spells and exorcisms

were needed This belief persisted longer in the

countryside Faith in the healing powers of

prayer, religious relics and the laying on of hands

Was often effective when used for mental disorders

Apothecaries More often in towns and cities Sold and used herbs, drugs, and

medicines for a variety of medical complaints

Often medicines were complex and expensive

Sometimes they worked

Physicians Trained for years Education was expensive Tended to come from wealthy

families and liked to continue their lifestyle

Usually treated urban, wealthy patients

Had little contact with peasants and urban workers

Physicians By the late 18th century Physicians

began to experiment with new methods and techniques BUT

Stuck close to “traditional medicine”: Bloodletting and purging

Belief that illness was caused by bad blood

Surgeons Made more progress than physicians More serious study of the anatomy More practice treating the wounded

on the battlefield (learned to save patients with serious wounds and breaks by amputation and cauterizing the wound)

BUT no pain killers and no germ theory so infections were a problem

Midwives Delivered the majority of the babies

throughout the time period in Europe

In spite of being persecuted during the witch hunts

Most were older, widowed, experienced

Often apprenticed with an older woman

Treated other “women’s conditions” Also were willing to treat children

Medical equipment Like the forceps were available only

to men Surgeons were able to convince

many women to leave their midwives an have “modern” birthing experiences (it was a lucrative business)]

Midwives were edged out EVENTUALLY, but not yet,

professional training and certification for midwives became available

Prior to the end of the 18th Century

Hospitals were terrible places Nurses were old, ignorant, greedy,

drunk Infection spread rapidly…vomit and

other human waste littered rooms and halls and not cleaned up

Surgeries performed in patient’s beds

Infection spread rapidly

Hospitals The poor in Paris believed that

hospitals were the result of a plot to kill paupers

Mental hospitals were just as bad Treatment for mentally ill was

bleeding, cold water Violent patients were chained to

walls

18th century beliefs Moonlight was the cause of madness

= Lunatic Masturbation caused: madness,

acne, epilepsy and more (read your textbook!)

Religion

German Pietism and Methodism were reactions against the rational religions of the Enlightenment and posed a challenge to traditional established churches

German Pietism inspired a Protestant revivalism

Like Romanticism, it emphasized emotion

German Pietism also emphasized a personal relationship with God

German Pietism Stressed Luther’s old belief in a

priesthood of all believers Bible reading and Bible study for all

classes were stressed. They believed in the practical power

of Christian rebirth in day-to-day affairs

“Reborn” Christians were expected to live virtuous lives and come from all sectors of society

John Wesley and Methodism

Wesley was influenced by German Pietism

Rejected Calvinist belief in predestination

Preached to large crowds in the countryside, open fields

Charismatic, emotional, popular with the poor

Preached that all who sought salvation could be saved

Message: Hope, free will, universal salvation

The Jesuits Were gone by 1773 Most secular authorities thought

that the Jesuits had amassed too much power for themselves

Maria Theresa limited their power Joseph II abolished them in Austria The Pope was pressured to dissolve

the order

BUT they will be back!