Fruit and veg, exercise, frequent bloodletting and more tips on staying healthy from medieval travelers

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Fruit and veg, exercise, frequent bloodletting and more tips on staying healthy from medieval travelers

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Travelers have always faced health hazards when far from home. Medieval people were no exception. Pilgrims, crusaders and others

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by preachers such as 13th century Jacques de Vitry of “dangers on land, dangers at sea, the dangers of thieves, the dangers of predators, the dangers of battles.”

There were also dangers to health: disease, lack of good nutrition and water, injury, accident and poisoning. Medieval travelers were active and innovative in trying to prevent ill health while away.

Although the adjective “medieval” continues to be used disparagingly to imply backwardness in medical and scientific knowledge, this history of preventive medicine shows us something different.

From good sleep to ‘good’ leeches

One especially interesting set of practical health care instructions for travelers is the De regimine et via itineris et fine peregrinatium (About the regimen and way of the journey for the traveler). The text was composed by Adam of Cremona in about 1227–28 for the ******* emperor Frederick II, who was about to set out on crusade.

Unedited and

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, Adam draws heavily on

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11th century Canon of Medicine, used for medical teaching in medieval universities.

Adam advised bloodletting (phlebotomy) should be performed prior to the emperor’s journey and then regularly throughout, depending on the “will and mood” of the stars.

Bloodletting was central to medieval medical practice. It used leeches or sharp knife-like instruments to nick the vein and cause blood to drain from the body. It was performed both preventatively and, in the case of some medieval religious communities, periodically as part of monastic bodily regulation and discipline.

Devoting some 25 chapters of his text to phlebotomy, Adam drew on the idea that bloodletting would regulate the

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(the four fluids thought to make up the body: blood, yellow bile, ****** bile and phlegm), evacuating “bad” ones and setting the body in balance to prepare for healthy travel.

While the concept of the four humors has since been abandoned by modern medicine, bloodletting and “leech therapy” continue to be performed in some

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for specific purposes.

Adam advised all travelers should be mindful of the instruments of bloodletting—especially leeches—while on the road. His writing included warnings to distinguish between leeches: good (round and shiny) and bad (****** or blue in color and found near fetid water).

He also gave careful instruction on how to desalinate water, as well as advice about diet (as close as possible to the traveler’s home diet, with plenty of fruit and vegetables), the importance of rest and adequate sleep, and the importance of regular bathing.

Dysentery was a well known hazard of travel, especially for crusaders, and Adam’s guide reflected all travelers’ wish to avoid it by keeping the digestive system in balance.

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Balancing body and spirit

Knowledge about water supplies was especially important for travelers.

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informed travelers one of the best sources of water in the holy land was just outside Haifa, in modern-day Israel.

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reminded travelers there was no water in Jerusalem other than the rainwater collected by inhabitants and stored in cisterns for daily use.

Medieval travelers were also reminded to take particular care of their feet. In 1260,

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gave instructions to travelers to use poultices (a dressing for wounds) made of oil, plants and quicksilver (mercury) to prevent and manage blisters—an all too frequent ailment experienced by pilgrims walking long distances.

Adam of Cremona suggested travelers regulate their pace as they walked, especially on unfamiliar and rough roads.

The overall benefit of exercise was generally understood. Preachers such as Jacques de Vitry told his congregations

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both physically and spiritually, so should be undertaken regularly before and during a journey.

Different climates and environments meant encounters with dangerous fauna. The holy land was said to be home to poisonous serpents.

Travelers took with them

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, an antidote made in part from snake flesh in case of a bite. This would be ingested or smeared on the wound.

Crocodiles in Egypt were also often mentioned as a hazard. There were no antidotes for an attack, but forewarning travelers with knowledge helped them to remain alert.

Medieval travelers did not leave their fate entirely in God’s hands. Even the crusaders took precautionary measures to balance both bodily and spiritual health before and during their journeys.

They confessed sins, sought blessings to protect their property and baggage and carried with them charms and amulets that were thought to ensure “the health of body and protection of the soul,” as

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explained. This “divine prophylaxis” ran alongside more practical care of the physical body—a holistic view of health as corporeal and spiritual.

The actions and remedies available to medieval pilgrims and other travelers may seem limited and perhaps dangerous to modern readers. But like all travelers, medieval people used the knowledge they had and tried hard to maintain good health in sometimes difficult conditions.

The urge to remain well is a very human one, and its long medieval history reminds us that good health has always been carefully managed through prevention just as much as cure.

Provided by
The Conversation

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Fruit and veg, exercise, frequent bloodletting and more tips on staying healthy from medieval travelers (2025, January 14)
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