Customer Reviews

Medieval and Early Renaissance Medicine: An Introduction to Knowledge and Practice

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This is a very thorough account of the practice of medicine in the Middle Ages. It covers most key points such as humors, blood-letting, women healers, hospitals, the role of religion in medicine, the taboos regarding medicine and other topics. It is greatly documented for further research and I recommend it highly to anyone interested in the topic, especially that it is written in a rather approachable and enjoyable fashion. It is a great starting point for research on medieval medicine, medieval social standards, and medieval everyday life.

Siraisi, a leading scholar in the history of medicine, has been generous by writing this c. 200 page survey of medieval medicine in the west. What stands out about the book is her interaction with academic medicine--such as her treatment on medical education and early ventures in anatomy, and her recognition of the importance of Islamic medicine and scholarship for European medicine in the middle ages and renaissance.

The author treats surgery, pathology, anatomy, physiology, and many other subfields of learning and practice. She interacts with the Christian worldview and religious understandings of sickness and health, albeit from a standpoint of elitist medical practitioners. As an expert on Galen, her treatment of his impact in medieval Europe is worth the price alone.

For an introduction to medical education and the innovators in medicine (without being just another "Garrison"), this book is recommended.