The Aztecs’ Medicine

Read the text and answer the questions.
Nowdays when we get sick, we usually visit a doctor and take the medicine we are given. The Aztecs also used to visit a type of doctor called a Shaman. The Aztecs believed, however, that illnesses were caused by comets, earthquakes or as a punishment from their gods!
The Aztecs used herbal medicine both to cure and to prevent illness. They have knowledge of about 1,500 plants and their medicinal properties. They used to wrap flowers petals around some medicines to form a capsule that was easier to swallow, a similar idea to our pills today.
The Aztecs knew cures for all kinds of ailments. For example, for a fever they suggested taking steam baths. They thought the heat would sweat out the evil spirits that were posing them. They also used to treat earaches by pouring liquid rubber into the ears. For cuts, they used to sprinkle ground obsidian on the wound to help it heal. For colds, they suggested putting a drop of dew into each nostril twice a day. In fact, the medical knowledge of the Aztecs was far superior to the best doctors in Europe at that time.
1. What was a Shaman?
2. What did the Aztecs believe caused illnesses?
3. How many plants and their medicinal properties did they know about?
4. Why did they wrap flower petals around some medicines?
5. Did European doctors know more than Aztec doctors?