Medical Writings from Early Medieval England: Volume I: The Old English Herbal, Lacnunga, and Other Texts
Edited and Translated by John D. Niles and Maria A. D’Aronco
Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674290822
What was the state of medical knowledge in England in the Early Middle Ages? This book provides texts and translations of several works that delve into ailments and their treatments, showcasing a fascinating blend of medicinal practices, magical remedies, and religious beliefs.
Excerpt:
This volume is divided into four main parts. The first of these consists of an edition and translation of the major work. The Old English Herbal, together with an edition and translation of the shorter work, titled here Old English Remedies from Animals, that regularly accompanies it in the manuscript tradition. The second part is an edition and translation of Lacnunga, a late tenth-century medieval miscellany composed chiefly in the vernacular. The third part is an edition and translation of the medical treatise known as Peri Didaxeon, a post-Conquest work that has not been translated into modern English since Cockayne. The fourth part consists of a miscellany of Old English or Latin medical texts recorded in a variety of Insular manuscripts dating from the ninth century to the twelfth.
Who is this book for?
This book is an invaluable resource for anyone researching medicine and healthcare in early medieval England, and will also be great for those studying a broad range of topics, including folklore, religion, food, natural resources and more. An upcoming second volume, which includes Bald’s Leechbook, will complete this set.
“Perhaps the greatest contribution of the volume, though, lies in its unwavering call to approach these texts with compassion and respect, working against generations of editors and translators who have all too frequently dismissed not only the scientific value of these writings but also their very humanity. “If these remedies are to be understood,” Niles and D’Aronco insist, “they should be read with an attempt at sympathetic understanding of the system of belief and practice within which they were once operative,” to recognize that they “made sense to men and women who were just as intelligent as ourselves”. The historical empathy modeled here is vital for our path forward in medieval studies.” ~ review by Lori Ann Garner in Speculum.
The Editors
John D. Niles is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Maria A. D’Aronco is retired Professor at the University of Udine.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
Medical Writings from Early Medieval England: Volume I: The Old English Herbal, Lacnunga, and Other Texts
Edited and Translated by John D. Niles and Maria A. D’Aronco
Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674290822
What was the state of medical knowledge in England in the Early Middle Ages? This book provides texts and translations of several works that delve into ailments and their treatments, showcasing a fascinating blend of medicinal practices, magical remedies, and religious beliefs.
Excerpt:
This volume is divided into four main parts. The first of these consists of an edition and translation of the major work. The Old English Herbal, together with an edition and translation of the shorter work, titled here Old English Remedies from Animals, that regularly accompanies it in the manuscript tradition. The second part is an edition and translation of Lacnunga, a late tenth-century medieval miscellany composed chiefly in the vernacular. The third part is an edition and translation of the medical treatise known as Peri Didaxeon, a post-Conquest work that has not been translated into modern English since Cockayne. The fourth part consists of a miscellany of Old English or Latin medical texts recorded in a variety of Insular manuscripts dating from the ninth century to the twelfth.
Who is this book for?
This book is an invaluable resource for anyone researching medicine and healthcare in early medieval England, and will also be great for those studying a broad range of topics, including folklore, religion, food, natural resources and more. An upcoming second volume, which includes Bald’s Leechbook, will complete this set.
“Perhaps the greatest contribution of the volume, though, lies in its unwavering call to approach these texts with compassion and respect, working against generations of editors and translators who have all too frequently dismissed not only the scientific value of these writings but also their very humanity. “If these remedies are to be understood,” Niles and D’Aronco insist, “they should be read with an attempt at sympathetic understanding of the system of belief and practice within which they were once operative,” to recognize that they “made sense to men and women who were just as intelligent as ourselves”. The historical empathy modeled here is vital for our path forward in medieval studies.” ~ review by Lori Ann Garner in Speculum.
The Editors
John D. Niles is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Maria A. D’Aronco is retired Professor at the University of Udine.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
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