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!