St. Michael's Historical Library
Medical Glossary: Definitions and References
Medieval and Renaissance Terms, Phrases and Names
Terms: 26 Names: 13 Updated: 21 May 1997
Medical Library (information and criteria about the library listings)
Author Listing (works, references to co-authors)
Title Listing (books, publication data, chapter and illustration list, and content)
Medical Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
- Æsculapius
- Ancient Greek mortal
that acquired god-like healing powers, powers that depended upon his strict
observance of taboos and sanctions; in breaking the trust, he began to
resurrect the dead, overstepping the boundary of human medical possibilities;
known for medicine's "rod and shield of Æsculapius"
- ague
- cold or fever, "the ague" was probably a malaria
brought on by mosquitos in 16th Century England which was the last
period that the country has large swamps before engineering and
water projects -- and the weather -- cleared them out
- apothecary
- pharmacist
- Aquinas, Thomas
- Physician, Student of Albertus Magnus, Saint
- Averroes
- famous Persian physician
- Avicenna
- famous Arab physician
B
- barber
- minor surgeon limited to pulling teeth, removing stones,
cutting hair and nails (usually un-licensed)
- barber-surgeon
- primary surgeon who supervises, teaches, conducts
dissections, etc. (usually licensed)
- Black Death
- also known as just the "plague"; Bubonic and
Pneumonic Plagues that ravaged Europe starting in the mid-14th Century
and continuing with lesser outbreaks through the 19th Century; the
Bubonic Plague was named for the "bubos" or red colored rings that
appeared on the victim and it was not as fatal as the Pneumonic
Plague which, as the name indicates, involved pneumonia symptons
C
- caduceus
- ancient symbol of a snake (or two) climbing a wooden staff
(or pole)
- catarrh
- bronchitis
- cautery
- burning with hot stick or iron to seal a wound
- chirurgeon
- French for surgeon
- Clowes, William
- famous English Barber-Surgeon who worked with both
armies and navy (during the Armada) and finally becomes "Serjeant-Surgeon" to
Queen Elizabeth; also wrote several surgical treatises
- Company (of Barber-Surgeons)
- the guild comprised of the remnants of
the Guild of Surgeons and the Company of Barbers merged together by
King Henry VIII (also established as a guild in other European countries)
- Cosmas, St.
- martyr, one of two patron saints of physicians and
surgeons (also see Damien)
- cupping
- drawing blood by heating the air in a glass cup while
having it pressed against skin so that, upon removing the head source
(usually a candle), the cooling air causes a vacuum
D
- Damien
- martyr, one of two patron saints of physicans and surgeons
(also see Cosmas)
- Dee, Dr. John
- Queen's astrologer, scientist, mathematician, teacher,
physician
- doctor
- anyone with a doctorate; not necessarily associated with
practioners of medicine
E
F
G
- Galen
- Greek during Roman times who wrote first major anatomy which
was used until the 19 Century
- Gerard, John
- author of Gerard's Herbal the Renaissance "bible"
of herbology; most physicians and surgeons (of any worth) carried
"Gerard's"
H
- Hippocrates
- the "father" of Western medicine; Greek during
Roman times who wrote most of the major medical works used throughout
Medieval and Renaissance times; created the "Hippocratic Oath" for
practicioners of medicine to follow in treating their patients fairly
- humour
- the four humours or elements of the body: Phlegm (water), Melancholy (air), Blood (fire), Bile (earth); believed that all four must be maintained in balance and treatments were directed to raise or lower levels to achieve that balance
I
J
K
- King's Evil
- struma, touching by Royal Person was to have cured this
(see scrofula)
L
- lancet
- small razor or cutting tool used to make an incision
for the purposes of bleeding
- leech
- simple worm-like creature found in ponds and used to draw blood
from patients; also used for the practioner who applies leeches
- leeching
- the drawing of blood through suction
(see leeches)
M
- Maxwell
- for "Maccus' Spring" or "Maccus' Well"; family
name derived for the supposed healing waters in a small shire in
the north of England near the Scottish border (where a unicorn is
said to have tipped his horn into the pond to purify it and give it
healing powers); crest from Scottish church of St. Magnus, on
the Isle of Skye, contains four crescent moons facing outwards
separated by four "losenges" (elongated diamonds) sometimes with
a unicorn's head in the middle
- Maxwell, Magnus
- (in)famous Barber-Surgeon of fame and
fiction; portrayed as medical practioner in 16th Century with English
militia and London's Great Company of Barber-Surgeons (guild); named
for Albertus Magnus and Maccus' Well, both related to healing
- mountebank
- quack, seller of false potions, usually
accompanied by a clown or monkey, stands on mount, bank or stage to
make a (medicine) show
N
O
P
- Padua
- famous Renaissance medical school in Italy
- Paracelsus
- famous 16th Century German physician,
Theordoric Bombastus Von Hohenheim, waxed "bombastic" over the
deplorable state of medicine performed by his fellow medical
practicioners in several books and treatises
- Pare, Ambroise
- French surgeon and author of major surgical works
used throughout Europe (c 1550)
- phlebotomy
- the drawing of blood through draining
- physick
- the general practice and "mystery" of medicine and
healing
- plague
- see Black Death
Q
- Queen's Evil
- struma, touching by Royal Person was to have cured this
(see scrofula)
R
- Rhazes
- famous Arab physician and author of major medical texts
S
- Salerno
- famous Medieval medical school in Italy
- scrofula
- ulcerous condition of skin usually found on neck; also know as "the King's evil" believed to be cured by the laying on of royal hands (usually cure started by cleaning up the victim before the royal audience
- serjeant-surgeon
- Surgeon General of England
- surgeon's mate
- a shipboard surgeon/assistant
T
- trefine
- from Spanish "tres fines" or three ends, a tool used
for drilling into the skull which consisted of a drill bit to make
the hole, a lever or "elevator" to gently lift the piece of bone away,
and a saw bit or "rasparator" to smooth the edges; although the name
is similar to "trephine" (see below) and they are essentially the
same operation, the two words have completely different roots
- trephine
- to drill into the skull; used in ancient times
to let out the "evil" spirits that were causing the "falling sickness"
(epilepsy?); some pre-Columbian American Indians used various shapes
for their trephining holes such as diamonds, circles, etc. for no
currently known reason
- Trotula
- also known as "Dame Trot"; woman physician and
teacher at Salerno in 10-11th Century
U
V
- venesection
- the drawing of blood through cutting or suction
- Vesalius, Andreas
- author of the first major book of anatomical drawing used throughout Europe De Fabrica Humana
W
X
Y
Z
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Michael Foster
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