We’ve heard a lot of surprising things about medieval medicine like that doctors used to cure all diseases with bloodletting and praying, people didn’t turn to doctors and preferred to ask God for help, and only monks and plague doctors used to treat sick people. But are any of these myths true?

Initially, medicine began in monasteries. Hospitals, early scientific work studies, and different medicine were all produced right there. Later, barbers started doing everything connected with medicine. Yes, they used to cut people’s hair and beards and also performed surgeries, treated dislocations, cured fractures, pulled teeth, and even performed massages.

In the 13th century, doctors started using anesthesia during surgeries, learned to suture wounds and perform autopsies, and even invented the concept of quarantine. See, the Middle Ages weren’t just about bloodletting!