February | 2021 | Lions and Lilies

By Catherine A Wilson

Life during the medieval period was fraught with danger. There was no such thing as ‘Occupational Health and Safety’ and no firm understanding on the workings of the human body. Should you be fortunate enough to survive childhood, childbirth, an injury as a result of a skirmish or the general violent manner in which justice, fair or unfairly, was dished out, then there was still the matter of disease.

The top three most prevalent and deadly diseases during the medieval period were the plague (or Black Death), leprosy and tuberculosis.

Cathy T has previously written a detailed account of the Plague in her excellent blog – The Black Plague – A Medieval Monster. https://lionsandlilies.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/the-black-plague-a-medieval-monster/

But what of leprosy and tuberculosis?

Leprosy

Leprosy, or Hansen’s Disease, was THE most terrifying disease known to medieval man, prior to the arrival of the plague. Any disfiguring skin aliment or swelling might be considered an indicator of leprosy. This included eczema, psoriasis, vitiligo and lupus. The Third Lateran Council of 1179 (an ecumenical group brought together to heal the division within the Roman Catholic Church as a result of the conflict between Alexander III and Emperor Frederick I) had decreed that any poor soul who even looked like they might have leprosy was to be shunned, forced to wear a cover over their body and place a bell around their neck so as the healthy members of the community could avoid any contact with them. Even the breath of a leper was to be feared.

Leprosy was often called ‘the living death’, and for good reason. It is a long-term bacterial infection which leads to the damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damage results in the lack of ability to feel pain, which can lead to the loss of fingers and toes (and often the penis in men) as a result of unnoticed injuries or infections. An infected person may also experience muscle weakness and poor eyesight. A common associated condition, Saddle Nose, is a result of the collapse of the nasal bone, which results in the constant flow of fluid onto the face. The decaying tissue produces a putrid smell and both flat and raised skin lesions appear all over the body. Basically, you look terrifying, you smell bad, are probably blind and people are repulsed by you. And to top it off, you are sent away from your family and friends, to live in a leper colony, or Lazar House, with other poor, afflicted creatures.

By the late 1300’s, numerous leper hospitals had been built. In London, at least four leper hospitals were in operation by 1400 and Europe was moving towards the same practice, closing many of the leper colonies. Colonies of this type still exist today, in India, Thailand and China. Spinalonga on Crete, Greece, was one of the last leprosy colonies in Europe. It closed in 1957.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (also known as consumption and phthisis) can affect you in vastly different ways. In fact, you can have the disease and not show any signs nor suffer in any way, or you can be incredibly unlucky and be struck down by the hideous ‘scrofula’, also known as the ‘King’s Evil!’

The most common sign of scrofula is the appearance of chronic, painless masses in the neck. The condition also causes fever, chills, malaise and weight loss. As the lumps get ever larger, the skin adhered to the swellings can rupture, forming a horrible open wound that constantly weeps.

Tuberculosis is incredibly infectious. Unlike many other forms of bacterial infection, the bacillus found in droplets expelled from the lungs, by coughing or singing etc, can remain infectious for up to eight weeks, on doorknobs, church pews, drinking vessels, even the dust found about the house! This efficient killer then remains dormant in your body until your resistance is low. Perhaps you consumed a portion of under cooked meat and suffer a case of gastroenteritis or catch a cold from the merchant in the high street! But now you are weak, tuberculosis strikes. When you first start coughing, you make think it is simply a result of the original bug you caught, but it will not be long before that cough becomes violent and unrelenting, with your sputum flecked with blood. Its at that point you will know your fate.

So what are your options? Well, it seems the reigning monarch of the time had a seemingly miraculous power to cure scrofula, hence the reference to the King’s Evil. Thousands of inflicted individuals were presented to Edward I, who would press a coin against the open sores. It is unknown how many, if any, victims recovered as a result of this treatment!

Other than lining up for hours in the hope of seeing the King, several other options, or supposed cures, were available for you to try. Some of these included;

Drinking the breast milk of a lactating mother.
Drinking warmed butter and honey.
Blood letting
Cupping

The most outrageous treatment I have discovered is retold in Ian Mortimer’s novel, The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England, and is as follows –

‘the physician’s assistant should take blind puppies, remove viscera and cut off extremities, then boil them in water, and bathe the patient in this water, four hours after he has eaten. Whilst he is in this bath, he needs to keep his head entirely covered and his chest completely wrapped in the skin of a small goat, as a preservation against sudden chill.’

A note to readers, I would not recommend the above!

Catherine A Wilson co-writes with Catherine T Wilson (no relation). Their first book, The Lily and the Lion, was based upon their true-life accidental meeting and resulting friendship. All four books in their ‘Lions and Lilies’ series have won first place prizes in the Chatelaine/Chaucer Awards in the US and last year, The Traitor’s Noose won the Grand Prize Chaucer Award.