As populations during medieval times increased, hygienic conditions worsened, leading to a vast array of health problems. Medical knowledge was limited and, despite the efforts of medical practitioners and public and religious institutions to create solutions, medieval Europe did not have an adequate health care system. Antibiotics weren't invented until the 1800s and it was almost impossible to cure diseases without them.

There were many myths and superstitions about health and hygiene. People believed, for example, that disease was spread by bad odors. It was also assumed that diseases of the body resulted from sins of the soul. Many people sought relief from their ills through meditation, prayer, pilgrimages, and other nonmedical methods.

The body was viewed as a part of the universe, a concept derived from the Greeks and Romans.

Four humors, or body fliuds, were directly related to the four elements:

• fire = yellow bile or choler
• water = phlegm
• earth = black bile
• air = blood

These four humors had to be balanced. Too much of one was thought to cause a change in personality, for example, too much black bile could create melancholy.