9/7/14
Gal 6:9 And
let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do
not give up.
Gal 6:10 So then, as
we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who
are of the household of faith.
In the so-called Dark Ages (476-1000) rulers influenced by
Christian principles encouraged building of hospitals. Charlemagne decreed that
every cathedral should have a school, monastery and hospital attached. Members
of the Benedictine Order dedicated themselves to the service of the seriously
ill; to 'help them as would Christ'. Monastic hospitals were founded on this
principle.
In the later Middle Ages, in cities with large Christian
populations, monks began to 'profess' medicine and care for the sick. Monastic
infirmaries were expanded to accommodate more of the local population and even
the surrounding areas. A Church ban on monks practicing outside their
monasteries gave the impetus to the training of lay physicians. It was
contended that this interfered with the spiritual duties of monks. So gradually
cathedral cities began to provide more large public hospitals with the support
of the city fathers and this moved medical care more into the secular domain.
Nevertheless, expansion of health care by the secular
authorities continued to be challenged and stimulated by the Church's example.
Eventually there were few major cities or towns were without a hospital. And
there were particular diseases, such as leprosy, where the Church, inspired by
the example of Jesus who made a point to touch and heal these outcasts from
society, took a lead. The Church built countless leprosy isolation hospitals.
Even though actual medical knowledge was meagre when compared to modern
standards, the efforts of the Christian Church nevertheless brought relief and
mitigation of suffering to thousands of sick people. And perhaps just as
importantly, it heralded a new, more humane attitude to the sick and elderly.
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