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Medieval Medicine Investigation

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Medieval Medicine Investigation

Read the case file and use the data table to answer the questions. This is a paper-based investigation: do not taste, handle or prepare any medicinal plant or remedy. Some plants, including foxglove, are poisonous.

Case file: remedies and claims

In medieval Europe, many people explained health using the theory of four humours: blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. Practitioners believed that illness could result when the humours were out of balance. Bloodletting was sometimes used in an attempt to restore balance, but it could cause infection, weakness or dangerous blood loss. Plants were also used as remedies. Willow bark contains salicin, a substance related to the development of aspirin. That does not mean that chewing willow bark is a safe or reliable treatment. Foxglove contains compounds that affect the heart. A purified medicine made from related compounds can be prescribed for particular heart conditions, but foxglove itself is poisonous and must never be used as a home remedy. A modern investigation tests one clearly defined question, changes one factor at a time, keeps other conditions consistent, repeats measurements and records results. In this activity, students model how evidence might be assessed using a safe, fictional laboratory simulation. The results are not tests of real medicines or proof that a remedy works in people.

Condition

Trial 1: colour-change time (s)

Trial 2: colour-change time (s)

Trial 3: colour-change time (s)

Control: model mixture only

No colour change

Model sample A

Model sample B

No colour change

Questions

Use the case file and simulation table. Show your reasoning where asked.

1.What did the theory of four humours propose about the cause of illness?

2.Which option best describes a major risk of bloodletting?

It could cause dangerous blood loss or infection.
It always corrected the four humours.
It made poisonous plants safe.
It prevented all future illness.

3.True or false: The fact that willow bark contains salicin, which is related to the development of aspirin, proves that chewing willow bark is a safe and effective treatment. Select True or False, then explain briefly.

4.Complete the statement: Foxglove is poisonous. Some purified compounds related to those in foxglove can be prescribed for particular conditions.

5.Calculate the mean colour-change time for model sample A. Include the unit.

6.Which sample has less consistent results: model sample A or model sample B? Use the table to support your answer.

7.Why is the control condition useful in this simulation?

8.In a fair test comparing two model samples, name one factor that should be kept the same in every trial.

9.A student concludes, “Sample A is a better human medicine because it changed the indicator colour faster.” Is this conclusion supported by the simulation? Explain why or why not.

10.Suggest one improvement that would make the class's simulation results more reliable.