Leprosy in Medieval England
A major reassessment, based on hitherto unpublished manuscript material, of a disease whose history has attracted more myths and misunderstandings than any other.

One of the most important publications for many years in the fields of medical, religious and social history. Rawcliffe's book completely overhauls our understanding of leprosy and contributes immensely to our knowledge of theEnglish middle ages. This is a fascinating study that will be a seminal work in the history of leprosy for many years to come. EHR

Set firmly in the medical, religious and cultural milieu of the European MiddleAges, this book is the first serious, comprehensive study of a disease surrounded by misconceptions and prejudices. Even specialists will be surprised to learn that most of our stereotyped ideas about the segregation of medieval lepers originated in the nineteenth century; that leprosy excited a vast range of responses, from admiration to revulsion; that in the later Middle Ages it was diagnosed readily even by laity; that a wide range of treatment was available; that medieval leper hospitals were no more austere than the monasteries on which they were modelled; that the decline of leprosy was not monocausal but implied a complex web of factors - medical, environmental, social andlegal. Written with consummate skill, subtlety and rigour, this book will change forever the image of the medieval leper.

CAROLE RAWCLIFFE is Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia.
1102002716
Leprosy in Medieval England
A major reassessment, based on hitherto unpublished manuscript material, of a disease whose history has attracted more myths and misunderstandings than any other.

One of the most important publications for many years in the fields of medical, religious and social history. Rawcliffe's book completely overhauls our understanding of leprosy and contributes immensely to our knowledge of theEnglish middle ages. This is a fascinating study that will be a seminal work in the history of leprosy for many years to come. EHR

Set firmly in the medical, religious and cultural milieu of the European MiddleAges, this book is the first serious, comprehensive study of a disease surrounded by misconceptions and prejudices. Even specialists will be surprised to learn that most of our stereotyped ideas about the segregation of medieval lepers originated in the nineteenth century; that leprosy excited a vast range of responses, from admiration to revulsion; that in the later Middle Ages it was diagnosed readily even by laity; that a wide range of treatment was available; that medieval leper hospitals were no more austere than the monasteries on which they were modelled; that the decline of leprosy was not monocausal but implied a complex web of factors - medical, environmental, social andlegal. Written with consummate skill, subtlety and rigour, this book will change forever the image of the medieval leper.

CAROLE RAWCLIFFE is Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia.
39.95 In Stock
Leprosy in Medieval England

Leprosy in Medieval England

by Carole Rawcliffe
Leprosy in Medieval England

Leprosy in Medieval England

by Carole Rawcliffe

Paperback(Reprint)

$39.95 
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Overview

A major reassessment, based on hitherto unpublished manuscript material, of a disease whose history has attracted more myths and misunderstandings than any other.

One of the most important publications for many years in the fields of medical, religious and social history. Rawcliffe's book completely overhauls our understanding of leprosy and contributes immensely to our knowledge of theEnglish middle ages. This is a fascinating study that will be a seminal work in the history of leprosy for many years to come. EHR

Set firmly in the medical, religious and cultural milieu of the European MiddleAges, this book is the first serious, comprehensive study of a disease surrounded by misconceptions and prejudices. Even specialists will be surprised to learn that most of our stereotyped ideas about the segregation of medieval lepers originated in the nineteenth century; that leprosy excited a vast range of responses, from admiration to revulsion; that in the later Middle Ages it was diagnosed readily even by laity; that a wide range of treatment was available; that medieval leper hospitals were no more austere than the monasteries on which they were modelled; that the decline of leprosy was not monocausal but implied a complex web of factors - medical, environmental, social andlegal. Written with consummate skill, subtlety and rigour, this book will change forever the image of the medieval leper.

CAROLE RAWCLIFFE is Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781843834540
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer, Limited
Publication date: 04/23/2009
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 440
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Professor of Medieval History, School of History, University of East Anglia

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vii

Acknowledgements xi

Abbreviations xiii

Introduction 1

1 Creating the medieval leper: some myths and misunderstandings 13

'This global disaster': the biomedical model 17

'Outside the camp': the missionary model 29

'Leprosies of sin': the literary model 34

Consolidating the myth 39

2 The body and the soul: ideas about causation 44

The wages of sin 48

The gift of paradise 55

A question of balance 64

From sara'ath to elephancia 72

'Malencolik mete' and 'fleschelie lust' 78

'A contagiouse sekenesse and infectynge' 90

Murky and malicious planets 95

3 The sick and the healthy: reactions to suffering 104

'Bothe fowlle and fayer': saints and sinners 110

'For loue of her lowe hertis': humility, penitence and confession 128

'Thou art a foule lepre': conflicting responses 133

From infirmitas to caritas: the uses of leprosy 142

4 Priests and physicians: the business of diagnosis 155

Applying science: the spread of information 158

Monks and miracles: the shrine 168

Physicians of the soul: the confessional 179

Practitioners at work: the judicium 184

Popular perceptions: juries and presentments 190

5 Medicine and surgery: the battle against disease 205

Diet and medication 213

Baths 226

Surgical procedures 232

Accidents of the soul 239

Blood and alchemy 243

6 A disease apart? The impact of segregation 252

Canon law 255

The common law 271

The fear of miasma and contagion 274

The wild and the tame 284

Finding a hospital place 291

7 Life in the medieval leper house 302

Degrees of separation 307

Care of the body 322

Care of the soul337

Conclusion 344

Bibliography 359

General Index 397

Index of leper houses, hospitals and almshouses 418

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