Social Class and Health During the Renaissance

Social Class And Health During the Renaissance and Medieval Times

THE BASIS OF PRIVILEGE

The Diet of the Rich and the Poor

What the rich and the poor ate in those times was vastly distinct (Cheng et al., 1999). The nobles and the wealthy could well afford and were served a wide variety of foods by cooks. Poor peasants, on the other hand, subsisted on a few and affordable types of meat and vegetables. Even the dishes they ate in common were nonetheless prepared differently. Those served to the rich and nobles were made from the best selected ingredients and carefully prepared, served fresh and more palatable. They were more varied than the ordinary, often with expensive spices from the Orient. The dishes prepared by peasants, on the other hand, had only little meat, which was also stored for long duration and served in the simplest manner. If spices were added, these were limited to salt and honey and wild herbs (Cheng et al.).

But the diet of both the rich and the poor in those times were not healthful. They did not eat as many fresh vegetables and fruits to insure good health (Cheng et al., 1999). Fresh fruits abounded but not many of these were eaten by either social class. Without a refrigeration technology, the people preserved food with salt or honey after harvest for use during the winter and early spring. And without proper knowledge about health, they consumed a lot of meat in the belief that it alone would provide the nutrients they needed. Not knowing the nutritive value of fruits and vegetables, these were ignored and eaten much less (Cheng et al.).

Social class distinguished the food of these centuries (MacDowell, 2011). The poor ate from what they could grow, gather or catch. The rich ate a wide variety of foods. The supplies used included tools and items for preserving foods and for seasonings (MacDowell). The rich ate lots of meat from domesticated animals, such as beef, pork and chicken (Cheng et al., 1999). These animals were raised by the peasants who worked for them. The rich also had a wide choice of fish. They ate carp and pike but without the foul smell of many fishes. These fishes were gathered from certain rivers reserved for nobles and the rich. Illegal fishing in these rivers was very strictly prohibited and punished. There were also castles with special pools from which the fishes were grown and caught for the upper class when catch was poor in the rivers. The upper-classes also consumed special grain products, which were much more refined than those eaten by the poor. The grains eaten by the rich contained carefully selected and properly ground before cooking and being served. Their wheat was softer and sweeter than that given or allowed to the poor and similar to the modern and refined wheat of the current day. And in addition to agricultural products, the rich and the noble also ate imported foods and goods, which the poor never tasted. These imported foods included dried foods and Asian spices from the Middle East at very high prices at that time. Examples were pepper, sugar, cinnamon, garlic powder and other spices. The dried fruits they enjoyed included almonds and other exotic fruits from Asia (Cheng et al.).

In contrast, the poor were reluctant to kill and eat the animals they raised because of their importance (Cheng et al., 1999). They obtained their dietary meat from hunting. Besides, they were allowed to eat meat only four days a week and obliged to fast on the other days. They were restricted to fishes when there were no restrictions to fishing and only in waters with low fish yield. These fishes were mostly herrings and eels and shellfishes. The diet of the poor and the peasants consisted mainly in grain products. They had buckwheat instead of refined wheat. They also had lots of oats, turnips, nettles, reeds, barley, rye, briars, pea shells and small corn (Cheng et al.).

The Life and Health of Peasants

A peasant's life in those times was a toilsome struggle for survival and the basics of health and comfort (Nash, 2012). Water was difficult to source. Peasants lived in "crunk" houses, made up of straw, mud and manure. Curtains covered their windows as there was no glass or wood yet in those times. Furniture was considered a luxury. A single bucket was used for toilet purposes and which was emptied every morning in the nearest river or lake. Dwellings were too cold in winter and too hot during summer. Their living conditions were dirty and uncomfortable. Water was scarce and could be taken only in small amounts once a day for cleaning and cooking in the house. It was sourced from the same river or lake where they drained toilet waste every morning. They also had limited bathing resources for the most basic hygiene. These conditions combined accrued to a high morbidity and mortality rates in those times (Nash).

Medical Practice and Public Health

The Dark Ages in Western Europe were characterized by social and political disintegration (Winkelstein, 2002; Porter, 1999) and, therefore, described as "dark." Large cities vanished and small villages took their place. The only surviving and unifying force was Christianity. Monasteries became the centers of learning and culture, which preserved them. As the only lasting symbol of civilization, these institutions were the only ones with piped water supplies, sanitary sewers, bathing facilities, heating and ventilation. They maintained hospices for travelers and the sick, although they practiced primitive health care (Winkelstein, Porter).

Leper Houses, the First Medical School

Leprosy was a major plague, which swept through the continent in the 6th to the 15th century (Winkelstein, 2002; Porter, 1999). Lepers were social outcasts who were separated from the community. Most lepers were kept in leprosaria or leper houses. Records say that there were about 19,000 such houses by the end of the 12th century. This ostracism is the first recorded public health practice and which survives today. Changes began to occur around 1000 C.E. with the secularization of education and increased interaction between the Crusades and Islam. Communal function moved from feudal lords and the churches to lay officials according to a hierarchy. The councils began to enforce rudimentary public health activities. The first medical school was established in Salerno, Italy in the 11th or 12th century. It was independent of the church and run by the laity. It accepted students of all races and some if its teachers were women who could have taught obstetrics. Constantine the African wrote many works for the school, prominently the Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum. It consisted of lessons on personal hygiene, diet, exercise and temperance. It is considered the first "health guide" for average people (Winkelstein, Porter).

The Plagues during the Renaissance

The Renaissance was a resurrection from the Dark Ages. It was a time of great commercial, scientific, cultural and political revival and development (Winkelstein, 2002; Porter, 1999). But it was also a time of destruction when the Black Death, or bubonic plaque, razed and killed 1/4-1/3 of the populations of Europe and the Near East between 137 and 1351. Other plagues were syphilis, which swept through Europe in the 16th century and smallpox in the Americas, which reduced the population substantially. These sore events led to the three most important public health developments in response. These were the organization of health board, a theory of contagion, and health statistics. The plagues and their dreadful consequences made the cities of northern Italy realize that the inadequacy of councils in dealing with health problems. The permanent health boards would determine the existence of plagues, set up quarantines, issue health passes, arrange for burials of victims, fumigate houses, and supervision of quarantined places. These boards closely interacted with local physicians in providing medical care and preventive advice. The boards eventually controlled the markets, sewage systems, water supplies, cemeteries, and cleanliness of the streets. They also supervised professional medical practice, the sale of drugs and the activities of beggars and prostitutes. They established and implemented a system of death registration for contagious diseases and for all other diseases. Death figures became the source of mortality data in Italy from the Renaissance to the present time. An analysis of these bills was made and published by John Graunt in his work, the Natural and Political Observation Made upon the Bills of Mortality, in 1662. It became the basis of modern health statistics and the planning and evaluation of public health initiatives and activities. With the obliteration of the plagues, these health boards also disappeared. But they became the foundation of 19th-century public health concepts and activities (Winkelstein, Porter).

The Rich Woman vs. The Poor Woman

The impact of social class on health during these historical periods can be gleaned from the differences between the lifestyles of the rich and the poor women. The medieval woman, called a lady, in Europe during the time was quite distinct. Her life was completely subjugated to men and, therefore, determined by them (Maier, 2011). When unmarried, she was subjected to her father or brother. If married, she was subject to her husband. Her daily activities were also determined by her social class or status. She supported and supervised the activities and needs of the household. She led a comfortable life (Maier).

A noble lady lived a similarly privileged and comfortable life. Her day began at dawn when she said prayers and heard Mass (Maier, 2011). Her daily activities depended on the preferences of her husband. When he was away, she supervised the expenses of the manor and the estates and the collection of rents. She also handled the operations of the farms and the settling of disputes. Her leisure included embroidery, dance and conversations about games, marriage, poetry and romances. She also looked after the education of upper-class girls under her care. Later in the day, she took charge of meal preparation and sufficient storage of food. After dinner, she took charge of entertainment, often by musicians, acrobats and jugglers as well as dancers. Bedtime prayers capped her day (Maier).

In comparison, the daily life of a servant woman or a peasant woman was one of toil and subjection to upper class people. The servant woman was usually a peasant sent to serve rich families (Maier, 2011). She was often either a nurse or a lady-in-waiting. Her daily life was determined and directed by the needs and whims of the noble woman she served. In the morning, she helped her noble woman master dress up. Clothes for the noble woman were heavy and complicated. A nurse servant took care of noble children. A servant woman was also assigned to cooking, cleaning and laundry (Maier).

A peasant woman's day started as early as 3 in the morning when she prepared breakfast for her family before working outside at dawn (Maier, 2011). Almost all peasant women lived in the rural areas. Their daily chores besides indoors included farm work, gardening, and animal tending. In addition, they also mended clothes and made preserved foods. They had very little time left for leisure. By the time her outside work was complete at dusk, she had to come home and prepare dinner for the family. She could not eat until they were all finished (Maier).

The Children of the Poor

Children in those times in history suffered much from disease, poor nutrition and social stereotypes (Streich, 2011). The introduction of new foods from Europe's first contacts with the New World altered the diet of the people of that time. Higher infant mortality rate was a consequence. The diet of poor people of the time, especially the children, was described as inadequate and unbalanced and made them vulnerable to many diseases. This combination of disease and poor diet explained the increase in childhood deaths. The exact or near-exact mortality statistics of the poor or economically disadvantaged cannot be provided because of the absence of a record-keeping system for the period. But a study by John Boswell indicated that children were abandoned. From where they were left, they were inadequately fed, especially in southern Europe and towards the last decades of the Late Middle Ages. Anthropology profession Jack Weatherford said that the addition of potatoes and new grains to the diet during this period, however, greatly improved the people's diet. The population increased, especially in northern Europe (Streich).

High Vulnerability, a Change of Perception

Children's living conditions were always shaped by their parents' social class and status (Steich, 2011). An increase in the overall population was halted by the bubonic plague and the Hundred Years War. Children have always been the most vulnerable in such events. Pierre Goubert, commented in 1661 in France that 25 out of every hundred children died before they reached the first year of life. Another 25 never reached their 20th birthday. And less than a tenth reached old age. Children were viewed only as "little adults" who were more vulnerable to all the forces, which influenced the life of medieval peasants. It was not until the Late Middle Ages that a change in the social perception about children occurred. Again, this change in view was substantially shaped by social class structure. Education opportunities expanded, diets were improved, early medical schools were established and a religious view of social morality transitioned children from the severity of the medieval time to the progressive conditions of the early modern period in Europe. The improvement among agriculture families, however, was gradual and depended on the location. Better lifestyles became more popular in France and persisted until the 20th century (Steich).