Medieval Life and Death

A 12th-century English manuscript shows a surgeon operating on a patient's eye. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Kill or cure? 10 medieval medical practices and their effectiveness

A doctor examines a patient's urine in an illustration from the 13th century. Uroscopy, the study of urine, was one of the medieval physician's most effective tools, and is still employed today. (Photo by Bridgman Art Library)

Medieval medicine: killer or cure?

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An introduction to the Black Death

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A 14th-century Flemish illustration depicting the burying of plague victims in coffins in Tournai in 1349. (Photo by Granger Historical Picture Archive/Alamy Stock Photo)

Black Death: “Oh father, why have you abandoned me?” . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A compilation of compass drawn circles, and variants found in many of the churches

Medieval graffiti: the lost voices of England’s churches in the Middle Ages

Illustration by Femke De Jong

The medieval longing for the good old days

16th century engraving depicting a man with leprosy

Q&A How did doctors treat leprosy?

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Merton College, Oxford.

History explorer Medieval universities . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Medieval universities and an unlikely friendship . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The Black Death, the effects of which are pictured in this medieval miniature, took little more than seven years to wipe out around half of mankind. (DeAgostini/Getty Images)

History explorer: the catastrophe of the Black Death . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.