Dark Ages’ view of ailments was pretty bright. From MSNBC:

Treatment of the sick in the Dark Ages is poorly understood today because none of it was governed by law or written down, Lee said, but assuming that it was backwards and steeped in superstition would be a mistake....

Some of the most forward-thinking science in the Dark Ages was actually going on in monasteries, where monks trying to understand all of God's works — including the mysteries of the body — toiled with healing methods.

Caring for the sick, regardless of the motivation, is an important measure of what's going on in a culture, Lee said.

"I think the way people behave towards the weak is the hallmark of a civilization," she said.