Hospitals in the Middle Ages

In medieval western society,Christianity had great influence.According to the traditional belief,not only were people's spirits controlled by Christianity,but elements of social life were also filled with God's light.‘Love God’,and‘Love thy Neighbour’were the core elements of Christianity's ethical tenets—a belief that many believed could help alleviate people's sins,and one which may lead them to Heaven after death.All of these lead people to do something related to benevolence.Consequently,many hospitals mushroomed in the Middle Ages.

‘Hospital’,originated from Latin,‘hospital’(benevolence and tolerance),in the middle ages,included four types:almshouse,leper house,taverns for the poor pilgrims and passengers,and hospitals for the poor patients.All these hospitals were subject to church control,and followed a rich religious colour.There were some medical actions being performed in all these hospitals.So were they a religious institution,or a medical institution?What functions are more important?There are debates over this question.Some scholars,represented by Rosha Mary Clay^[5]who argues that medieval hospital is not a medical institution but a religious institution;but other scholars,represented by Edward J.Kealey^[6],consider the aim of medieval hospitals as one to alleviate patients’pains,which remained unchanged,despite being founded by the church.This approach reinforces the belief of hospitals performing primarily a medical function in medieval times.By examining historical facts,we can find that medieval hospitals were religious institutions with medical functions,especially in the early middle ages.All the above-mentioned four types of hospitals were similar,but there are some differences.Their religious characteristics can be proven by the following five aspects:First,English hospitals were attached to the abbey,or independently existed.To some degree,they had the same religious functions,for even the latter had its chapel,and the staff in the hospital had a holy life.Second,the hospital's staff,from the guardians to nurses,called each other‘brothers and sisters’.They were almost the monks and nuns.Third,the clergy took the role of doctors,whose duty included two parts:to save the soul,and to heal the body.According to the Bible,the body is the result of the soul's degenerations,according to this belief,to save the soul was more important than to save the body.In their treatment,the clergy had to prioritize the ritual of saving the soul before diagnosing and prescribing medicine.^[7]Fourth,the medical help was cost-free in principle,thus representing

and Faith in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds(Baltimore,1996),266-267.benevolence.The existent admonition for the clergy-doctor said:Don’t refuse anything given to you and don’t ask anything that the sick don't give you.You should treat the poor and the rich equally without discrimination.^[8]Finally,all hospitals were administered by the Canon.All in all,medieval hospitals were religious institutions with medical functions,for which it was thought highly regarded in society.

The secularization of hospitals begun in the thirteenth century,and was followed by the construction of many secular almshouses.The main aims of almshouses were to provide sanctuary for the vagabonds,the sick and other helpless people.When the leper prevailed in thirteenth century,a large number of lazar houses were built.In the fourteenth century,when the plague spread across England,the leprosaries were often changed to pesthouses.These two types of the hospitals were mostly built by civilians,and they were often operated more efficiently than the hospitals built by the church.Yet there were many disadvantages to the secular hospitals.First,almost all of these hospitals were built by the parish or the city,which meant that they might have paid more attention to the benefits of their own region,thus prioritizing the service for inhabitants in their own sphere.What's more,the funds of the hospitals were mainly from social endowments,thus when faced with an economic crisis,the running of these hospitals and their function of social relief would be affected.Furthermore,in the secular hospitals,the obligations of the administrators were obscure,and the doctors’medical ability and qualifications were low.

According to statistics,in the long history of medieval England,there were 310 leprosaries,more than 300 hospitals and 225 almshouses in all.^[9]However,they experienced decline in the late middle ages,which may be attributed to their religious characters,and also proved that the hospital's style was not fit for the contemporary social development.