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Black magic, the occult, witchcraft, and necromancy (the last derived from the ancient Egyptians) were used both as remedies and as means of creating illnesses, even death. However, anyone engaging in these practices could be tried, imprisoned, or executed.
Astrology played a role in health and medicine in the middle Ages. It became especially important after the Black Death, when it was relied upon to forecast the spread of the disease. A person born under a sign of the moon, for example, might be prone to worry, frequent colds, and insanity, whereas people born under other signs of the zodiac could be prone to skin diseases.
Epidemics struck repeatedly in the Middle Ages. People suffered from many diseases, including smallpox, dysentery, leprosy, respiratory illnesses, malaria, and syphilis. In those times, people died from measles, scarlet fever, and tuberculosis.Misconceptions: Leprosy was thought to be extremely contagious, though today we know it isn't contagious at all. Lepers were classed with heretics, Jews, homosexuals, prostitutes, pimps, and any others on the margins of society. When in public, lepers announced themselves by sounding bells and rattles to warn people away. Not allowed to touch food, in the marketplace, lepers had to point to their food choices with staffs.A person suspected of having leprosy was made to renounce the "normal" world and had to promise to abide by many restrictions. These restrictions included not touching anything or anyone, except for his or her spouse. Thousands were sent to leper colonies scattered all over Europe. Religious and municipal authorities operated these colonies, called "leprosaria,". For some the leprosaria may not have been totally unbearable places. Lepers who had money could live in a leprosarium with their wives and children. Wealthy merchants often left money to the leper colonies in their wills. .
As the populations of medieval towns and cities increased, hygienic conditions worsened, leading to a vast array of health problems.
