Medieval diseases

Untitled Slide

• Life before the discovery of penicillin, antisepsis, and germ theory necessarily meant that disease was a constant companion of medieval people.

some of the most common diseases were:

Dysentery

• An infection caused either by bacteria or amoebas, spread through contamination of food and water by infected fecal matter.

Ergotism

• Was a poisoning from a fungal infection of grain, especially rye.

Gonorrhea

• A bacterial infection of the genital tract, transmitted through sexual contact.

Leprosy

• A bacterial infection, transmitted by respiration or contact, leading to disfigurement.