Medieval ditch medicine

 

This morning, when walking the dog, I saw several plants used for healing purposes in the Middle ages. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), gout weed, (Aegopodium podagraria), and nettle (Urtica dioica) grow side by side in a ditch (around the outskirts of a nearby forest) as they probably did in the Middle ages and were thus available for practically everybody.

Chamomile or more exactly German chamomile has been used by many cultures for gastrointestinal disorders as well as skin conditions.  It was employed in ancient Egypt and in the Middle ages chamomile was used as a diuretic (to rid the body of excess water) and a tonic to manage pain and fatigue.

Tansy has also a long history of use. It has been employed as a medicine and an insect repellent.  It is known that tansy was cultivated by the ancient Greeks for medicinal purposes. In the early Middle ages, it was grown in the herb gardens of monasteries, e.g. by Benedictines of Saint Gall. Tansy was used to treat intestinal worms, rheumatism, digestive problems, fevers, and sores. Hildegard von Bingen says: “Whoever suffers from catarrh and has a cough, let him eat tansy. It will bind humors so that they do not overflow, and thus will lessen."



Chamomile and tansy.



In addition, it was considered that tansy has virtues in reproductive matters.  It was believed to help women conceive and to prevent miscarriages. Contradictorily, large doses were believed to induce abortions. In skincare, tansy was used as a face wash and was reported to lighten and purify the skin. Tansy is also reputed as an insect repellent in different cultures, e.g. in medieval Europe and apparently among American Indians. 
Goutweed was cultivated during the Middle Ages for use as a vegetable, pot herb and for its medicinal use against gout, hence goutweed. Its Latin name, aegopodium podagraria, includes the name of the disease, podagra. It is said to have been introduced by the monastics of the Middle Ages, who cultivated it as a herb of healing. Therefore, it was called Bishopsweed and Bishopswort and it was frequently found near old monastery ruins. It was also called herba (Sancti) Gerardi, after Gerardus (St. Gerard) †1120 founder of the Knights of St. John. Herb was dedicated to St. Gerard, who was invoked to cure the gout, against which the herb was chiefly employed.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica and the closely related Urtica urens) has a long medicinal history. In medieval Europe, it was used as a diuretic and to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, anemia, sores, and bleeding.

Conferences, spring-summer 2013

Before the vacation, it is time to make a conclusion about the conferences in spring and summer 2013. I made a tour from Tucson (Mental Health, Spirituality, and Religion in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age May 2-6), via Kalamazoo (International Medieval Congress May 9–12,) to Helsinki (Nordic Medical History conference May 29- June 1) and finally to my home town Jyväskylä (Gustav Vasa seminar June 11 -12).

The Mental health -conference owes its existence to Professor Albrecht Classen's initiative and energy.
http://aclassen.faculty.arizona.edu/content/program-symposium-mental-health-spirituality-and-religion-2013

Most papers dealt with medieval and early modern issues from the Early Irish Cult of Brigit to Eva Margaretha Frölich and Her National Swedish Eschatology in 17^th century, but on one afternoon some scholars were invited from the field of modern psychiatric fields.



We heard about self-awareness in psychiatry (Viswanathan Rajesh), using beads (beads of courage) in hospitals (Jean Baruch) and 'Nones' on the Bus: a Postmodern Perspective on spirituality (Hester Oberman). The idea was to build bridges between past and present which is not an easy task, but succeeded pretty well. Discussions were lively and fruitful and at least my views broadened a lot. We strung beautiful and handmade beads in the workshop held by Jean Baruch. They are now hanging from my bag as my lucky beads and reminding me of the role of mind and spirituality in healing. Lovely!



San Xavier del Bac.

The atmosphere in the conference was scholar but cosy and everything was so well-organized (as always, as I was told)! It was my second time in Tucson. I was there in 2009 for the first time.  Finally, Professor Classen organized and guided an excursion to the missionary church of San Xavier del Bac. San Xavier mission was founded as a Catholic mission in 1692. The current church dates from the late 1700's, when Southern Arizona was part of New Spain. The church's interior is filled with marvelous original statuary and mural paintings. A great church and a great excursion! More on topic Mental health, spirituality and Religion in a planned publication (de Gruyter; Fundamentals). My article will deal with textual amulets in medicinal recipes.

From Tucson, I continued to Kalamazoo. I attended the gigantic congress for the first time. With hundreds of sessions to choose from, shuttle busses, Fetzer/Schneider/Bernhard areas, lunch tickets and other practicalities I was a little bit confused, but really enjoyed some sessions. E.g. a session on archeology and magic was extremely interesting and well-presented. Becoming more and more material…

 

Funny coincidence was that the only Finn in the whole conference besides me (Professor Helena Halmari from Sam Houston State University, Texas) was in the same session! We both participated in a session called Multilingualism in the Middle Ages III, organized by Albrecht Classen (he had three sessions on multilingualism) and presided by Charles W. Connell. http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/medieval_icms/2013/schedule/348/ Helena Halmari’s paper was On Rhetorical Motivations for Language Switching in Oxford, MS Bodley 649 while mine discussed Code Switching in Medical Recipes. The third speaker in our session was Diane P. Auslander whose paper considered Multilingualism in Ireland: Language and Ethnicity in the Aftermath of Invasion. An interesting session about multicultural Middle ages.

In Helsinki, I was equally a first-timer among many medical doctors and paleopathologists. But we were some humanists and historians, too! http://www.suomenlhs.fi/sessionchart.pdf I presented a paper about medieval insomnia. Well, I learned a lot of techniques and challenges of diagnosing past diseases. And this conference was a good example that more co-operation should and could be done between different disciplines. Studying only written sources cannot finally tell very much about (medical) past. And vice versa, bones alone tell only one part of it. But, I have to admit that my level of knowledge about the material world paleopathologists and archeologists study increased a good deal.

Finally, in Jyväskylä, at my home university, I was too exhausted to give a paper which I knew already in advance and therefore, I was satisfied with what others presented. The theme was the most interesting concentrating on popular religion, witchcraft and magic. http://gustavvasaseminar2013.blogspot.fi/p/program.html It was very useful for my work (Medicine without doctors) but I have to admit that I perhaps enjoyed the most in listening Francesco Piraino &, Laura Zambelli: Mamma Schiavona and Santa Rosalia: Between Identity and Spirituality,  long term cults of which shape and reception have changed in Italy …

Thank you for organizing such great conferences! It is certainly a huge work for organizers. Now, it is time to have some rest in mökki (Finnish cottage in the lake area). Back in conference business in September (Cultural History Conference in Istanbul) where the theme is Artefacts, culture and identity – again some material culture! http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=H-MedAnthro&month=1211&week=d&msg=pZGuK/YhiTAdgzEIOIB/Aw