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The few doctors available treated only the rich. Bleeding was one of the most common treatments. It was thought to keep the body’s humours in balance, but probably made patients even weaker. Sometimes a patient was cut and bled into a bleeding cup, though many doctors preferred to use leeches.

The moon was also thought to have a great effect on the humours and so the position of the moon was important in deciding when to bleed a patient. Not surprisingly, the peasant was, therefore, just as likely to recover from his illness as the rich man.

Physicians of Myddfai

In Wales, the most famous doctors of the Middle Ages were the physicians of Myddfai. Rhiwallon Feddyg (Rhiwallon the Doctor) and his sons were the court physicians to Rhys Gryg, Lord of Deheubarth.

They also referred to the stars when advising patients. In August, for example, patients were advised to eat plenty of cawl (broth) but avoid beer, if they wanted to stay healthy.

Surgeons

Surgeons were considered to be of a lower status than physicians. People trained as surgeons – or barber surgeons - by being apprenticed to other surgeons.

Setting broken limbs was not such a problem, but internal surgery was risky, so surgery was a last resort. The problems for surgeons (and patients) were:

• there were no effective anaesthetics to sedate patients
• there were no completely effective antiseptics to prevent infection
• patients might die from shock or loss of blood

By the end of the Middle Ages, there is some evidence that surgery was improving. Theodoric of Lucca suggested using bandages soaked in wine to clean wounds as a mild antiseptic. He also used substances such as opium, mandrake and hemlock to induce unconsciousness as a weak anaesthetic. The many wars during this period meant that barber surgeons became quite expert in dealing with battle injuries.

However, surgery remained a risky business. Surgeons still had no idea that dirt carried disease, and most operations of medieval times, if carried out today, would end in a suit for criminal negligence.