Medical Treatment in the Seventeenth Centry

During the Pre-industrial ages there was many endemic diseases. Many villages was wiped out by simple diseases just as a common cold, and other measles. During this time medicine was not nearly as advanced as today. Thus brought many different attempts to cure the diseases. There were three common ways people tried to cope with the diseases. First was those people who believed that one could change the out come of the disease through supernatural healing, yet others believed that diseases could be healed through physical ways. And lastly there were those who believed that the diseases couldn't be healed through physical or supernatural ways that it was in God's hands, and no man could change what happens.

People believed that the only way one could heal a person that had a diseases just as a the plague was though some odd practices. Some thought and practiced if one had the disease the way to get rid of it was to drive a a nail in the ground at midnight, and walk backwards from the nail before the twelve o'clock bell strikes. "go by night alone to a crossroads, and just as he clock is striking midnight turn round three times and drive a large nail into the ground up to the head. Walk backwards from the nail before the clock has finished the twelfth stroke. The auge will leave you, but will got to the person next to step on the nail." 1 This points out he radial ideas people believed that would cure a disease. Also it shows use how desperate people were to find a way to get rid of diseases. This is just one of the many ways people tried to find a solution to getting better during sickness. Others kept with them crosses, and papers tied in knots to lure evil spirt out of them which they thought was causing sicknesses. As well as people had certain words or figures in a triangle or pyramid, which again is an attempt to drive out the evil spirt within them. "kind of a possession of an evil spirit; and that if was to be kept off with crossings, signs of zodiac, papers tied up with so many knots, and certain words in a triangle or pyramid"2. Another supernatural believe was that if u touch the king one would be healed of your sickness. They thought since the was in such high power that he was closer to God, and God had given the king special powers.

While some believe weird ways of curing a disease others tried simpler methods. Which had nothing to do with supernatural ways but physical healing. Those who tried the physical ways to healing did such things as eating simple healthy meat to get natural nutrient and drink fermented liquor. Also that