Samuel Peterson’s Reviews > The Middle Ages: Everyday Life in Medieval Europe > Status Update

While medical knowledge was indeed valuable and recorded for posterity and knowledge, how accessible was it? That's the question. The other question is: how accurate was it and its treatment?

It's crazy to think that medieval physicians depended upon knowledge of "physiologists" from over a thousand years prior! Rather than coming up with newer methods of treating illness, disease, and injuries.

"All of these alcoholic drinks were dietary staples, consumed at every meal by children as well as adults. They were not necessarily very strong, and they had nutritive properties lacking in the principal 'soft' alternative, water." This must be why Europe has a lower age of consumption when it comes to alcohol today since it was such a cultural staple for the longest time and the style is different than the US.

So, if two meals were typical of households ("lunch"/dinner and supper) then when did breakfast start? And why do people writing medieval fantasy include breakfast like Tolkien, Martin, and Jacques.

Without pasteurization, the only use for milk was to make cheese and butter.

"Medieval people were not very squeamish about urine: not only was it an essential element in tanning leather and fulling cloth, but the medieval physician's analysis of a patient's urine was expected to take into account taste as well as appearance." *intense gagging*

Light and heat are things that we take for granted now. In the Medieval Era, buildings not only had low light but weren't insulated very well. Candles were only just invented, and open fires were a hazard.

It's a shame that the garment industry has changed so much since the medieval era. Once we had clothing that used to last for a long time and was made to last generations. Now, clothing fades and rips after a year or two, depending on how much wear it receives. Polyester is made of plastic and can't degrade. It just makes the environment toxic. The industry is built around replacing the clothing after a short time.

Imagine wearing the same clothes every day for a week and only at the end of the week does it get washed. Only those fortunate have a second set. While this is true among those in the poor and lower class today, it was the norm back then.

I do like this in-depth explanation of the process of weaving and cloth-making. Unfortunately, one thing it did not mention was the time it took to gather materials, work the fibers into thread, and weave the thread into cloth.