Presentation - 4th quarter.

In the time of the Renaissance, hospitals were much different than we think of them. They earned a negative reputation due to the battlefield medicine which was not as sophisticated as hospitals in towns and communities.

Many advances were being made at this time. They had discovered different ways to perform certain surgeries and to medicate patients.
Ambroise Pare was the first person to use ligature to cease the bleeding of a wound. The traditional method was to use boiling oils or red hot pokers.
They also began to use herbs as another method of easing pains and killing off diseases.

Medicine was prescribed based on the system of the humors, there were four humors in the body and they were all connected to seasons, elements and astrological signs.

Black bile - earth - Autumn
Yellow bile - fire - Summer
Phlegm - water - Winter
Blood - all four elements - Spring

The use of herbs corresponded with this system and the success of herbs is attributed to this theory.

Hospitals at the time contained private wine cellars, manicured facilities, freshly cooked meals and spiritual healing. Visitors were treated with wine and food from the premises and could even choose the wine they’d like based on illness and appetite.

There is even a document from the 16th century that details care at the Santa Maria Nuova hospital in Florence. Patients there were able to simply ring a bell to alert someone that they wanted assistance. They were fed different dishes such as vegetables, bread, and chicken soup, all of which were prepared on the grounds of the hospitals. Some even had their own vegetable gardens just to feed their patients.

Source 1 / Source 2 / Source 3