Meet the Middle Ages
BackHospitals
There were hospitals near many medieval towns. There, monks and nuns took care of people who suffered from leprosy, a horrible disease which destroys the skin and makes fingers, noses and even ears fall of. The hospitals lay at a distance from town, because the lepers were contagious. If the lepers wanted to leave the hospital area, they had to carry bells as a warning.
The special patron saint of the sick was St George. Therefore many hospitals were named after him.
In the 16th century, the hospitals became places were the poor and the mentally ill were taken care of.