4. Universal health care was prevalent throughout the medieval world
In the monasteries and abbeys, as well as the earliest hospitals dedicated to caring for the sick, the driving force behind the delivery of what is today called heath care was charity. In the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans clinics offering care for the sick and injured were established by local authorities, and care was offered regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. The health of the overall community was considered as paramount. The same philosophy was exhibited, though in a less charitable manner, by the removal of the highly contagious – such as lepers – into separate communities away from the general public.
The European monasteries continued the practice of offering medical care as a form of charity, in accordance with their perceived Christian duty. Two schools of thought emerged. In one, illness was a reflection of the judgment of God, and the use of medicines formed by pagan religions was heresy. In the other, which became supported by the Church by the fifth century, medicinal herbs and plants were gifts of the Creator, to be available to all and shared by all. This included those of the Islamic world, which began to be exposed to Europeans as a result of the Crusades. Medicine began to influence the evolution of the Christian church, especially in its position as to what constituted Christian charity.