God, mammon and the physician: Medicine in England before the college

Rawcliffe, C. (2000) God, mammon and the physician: Medicine in England before the college. Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London, 34 (3). pp. 266-272. ISSN 0035-8819

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Abstract

Medieval medical practice has all too often been depicted by historians as ineffective, overpriced and riddled with superstition. Yet the physician, who boasted an impressive range of academic accomplishments, exercised considerable influence in political, religious and cultural affairs. How was this achieved? The overwhelming authority of the Church, in an age of high mortality, when life was generally painful as well as short, helps to explain an apparent paradox. For the practitioner, who was often also a priest, dealt with spiritual as well as earthly diseases, plumbing the recesses of men's souls while he examined their bodies. He was a confidant and mentor, offering advice on all aspects of the human condition. Since physical suffering was often regarded as a consequence of sin, confession loomed large in treatment. Indeed, the practice of both medicine and surgery was regulated by canon law, which looked beyond mere physical fitness to the quest for eternal salvation.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sdg 3 - good health and well-being ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Medieval History
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10904922...
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	18 Nov 2013 15:10
Last Modified:	18 Jun 2024 14:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/44620
DOI:

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