The sweating sicknes.
The sweating sickness was an illness that only occurred during a small period of
time, notably in the Tudor Era. It usually hit the strong young people, leaving
them with pain, fever, and ceaseless sweating. It was almost always deadly, and
could kill within a few hours. Anne Boleyn was known to have fallen ill with it
in 1528, and although she survived, her brother-in-law William Carey was not so
lucky.
smallpox.
Smallpox is another epidemic that took England by storm. When a person
caught smallpox, they got bumps and rashes all over them, and although it was
possible to survive it, the patient usually ended up scarred for life.
Elizabeth I came down with smallpox very early in her reign, and managed to get
away with minor scars, but her friend Mary Sidney, who cared for her during her
illness, caught it from her and was scarred so badly she refused to show her
face at court again.
Scrofula.
Scrofula is a type of skin disease. In Medieval
times, it was known as "The King's Evil." A touch from a monarch was supposed
to cure the disease, so kings would touch any subject that had the disease.
They would also bless special rings to give to scrofula victims, as another
cure. This disease was not always deadly, but it affected many people during
this time period.
Tuberculosis.
This disease is probably more common today than
any of the other diseases on this page. Because of the poor health conditions
in the Tudor Era, it was very common, and always deadly. Tuberculosis is when
the lungs fill with fluid and begin to deteriorate. It can be spread through
air easily, if an infected person coughs. A very serious symptom is when the
infected person starts coughing up blood. A few Tudors died of this disease:
Edward VI, Henry Fitzroy, and possibly Henry VII.
Puerperal Fever.
Unlike the other diseases on this page,
puerperal fever was not an epidemic that spread from one person to another.
This disease, however, was extremely common in Tudor England. Women often came
down with "childbed fever," as it was more commonly called, shortly after
having children. It was caused by an infection, and there was no cure for it
back then. The woman would have a fever, become delirious, and eventually die.
Two famous women who succumbed to this disease were Jane Seymour and Katherine
Parr.
The Plague.
The plague is perhaps one of the most famous
sicknesses during this time. Like the sweating sickness, it was very deadly,
and every few years or so it would sweep through the country in a massive
epidemic. It could kill off thousands of Englishmen in only a few weeks, and
when it hit London the King and his court would flee to the countryside, which
was supposedly healthier. It was said to have been spread by rats, although no
one back then knew how sickness occurred and could only hope that it passed you
by. The plague died out along with the sweating sickness long ago.
TUDOR DISEASE CURES AND MEDECINE.
There was no real cure for any of these diseases, but Tudor doctors tried their
hardest to make their patients healthy again. A basic belief in the Tudor Era
was that the health of the body relied on keeping a balance of the four
"humors" of the body: yellow bile, black bile, phlegm, and blood. Because of
this belief, bleeding was a common "cure" for almost any disease or ailment.
This was done by either physically cutting the patient and letting them bleed
into a basin, or putting leeches on the patient. Herbal remedies were also very
popular, but not very effective.
time, notably in the Tudor Era. It usually hit the strong young people, leaving
them with pain, fever, and ceaseless sweating. It was almost always deadly, and
could kill within a few hours. Anne Boleyn was known to have fallen ill with it
in 1528, and although she survived, her brother-in-law William Carey was not so
lucky.
smallpox.
Smallpox is another epidemic that took England by storm. When a person
caught smallpox, they got bumps and rashes all over them, and although it was
possible to survive it, the patient usually ended up scarred for life.
Elizabeth I came down with smallpox very early in her reign, and managed to get
away with minor scars, but her friend Mary Sidney, who cared for her during her
illness, caught it from her and was scarred so badly she refused to show her
face at court again.
Scrofula.
Scrofula is a type of skin disease. In Medieval
times, it was known as "The King's Evil." A touch from a monarch was supposed
to cure the disease, so kings would touch any subject that had the disease.
They would also bless special rings to give to scrofula victims, as another
cure. This disease was not always deadly, but it affected many people during
this time period.
Tuberculosis.
This disease is probably more common today than
any of the other diseases on this page. Because of the poor health conditions
in the Tudor Era, it was very common, and always deadly. Tuberculosis is when
the lungs fill with fluid and begin to deteriorate. It can be spread through
air easily, if an infected person coughs. A very serious symptom is when the
infected person starts coughing up blood. A few Tudors died of this disease:
Edward VI, Henry Fitzroy, and possibly Henry VII.
Puerperal Fever.
Unlike the other diseases on this page,
puerperal fever was not an epidemic that spread from one person to another.
This disease, however, was extremely common in Tudor England. Women often came
down with "childbed fever," as it was more commonly called, shortly after
having children. It was caused by an infection, and there was no cure for it
back then. The woman would have a fever, become delirious, and eventually die.
Two famous women who succumbed to this disease were Jane Seymour and Katherine
Parr.
The Plague.
The plague is perhaps one of the most famous
sicknesses during this time. Like the sweating sickness, it was very deadly,
and every few years or so it would sweep through the country in a massive
epidemic. It could kill off thousands of Englishmen in only a few weeks, and
when it hit London the King and his court would flee to the countryside, which
was supposedly healthier. It was said to have been spread by rats, although no
one back then knew how sickness occurred and could only hope that it passed you
by. The plague died out along with the sweating sickness long ago.
TUDOR DISEASE CURES AND MEDECINE.
There was no real cure for any of these diseases, but Tudor doctors tried their
hardest to make their patients healthy again. A basic belief in the Tudor Era
was that the health of the body relied on keeping a balance of the four
"humors" of the body: yellow bile, black bile, phlegm, and blood. Because of
this belief, bleeding was a common "cure" for almost any disease or ailment.
This was done by either physically cutting the patient and letting them bleed
into a basin, or putting leeches on the patient. Herbal remedies were also very
popular, but not very effective.