Medieval Europeans Were Healthier and Happier than we Previously Realized

At times, I’ll come across articles talking about how miserable life was in the Middle Ages, at least for European peasants. Fair enough, it was the time of Serfdom, the Bubonic Plague, and frequent wars. But a closer look at the Medieval era, during which some records still survive (let’s say 1200–1500, the “Late Middle Ages”), might reveal that life was not so bad after all, and in fact a rudimentary form of life that still exists today.

The 1348 Plague in Florence was horrible, as victims flocked to monasteries (which were the closest things to Medieval hospitals), which further increased infections. However, rural peasants were relatively free of urban contaminants, and some remedies were available.

Late Medieval Health: People in the Middle Ages knew a thing or two about health, they both learned about remedies (many of which are used today) and observed a kind of practical cleanliness as a matter of survival. Here are some notes about the Medieval battle against lice, fleas, worms, mice/rats (still a problem in many parts of the world).

a) Lice: Fine tooth combs were used frequently, and if that didn’t work, vinegar and/or lard, last resort…shave everything

b) Fleas: Also fine tooth combs, and to some degree, traps (bread and candle covered w glue). Charwomen who followed armies were known to be good at dealing with cleaning clothes and scalp, infested clothes were sometimes discarded. Apparently, aromatics such as garlic, vinegar, lavender, and peach tree leaves had some preventative effect.