Week 2: Rational Reconstruction-Day 1 History of Biology Survey

Today's reading was Chapter 13 on Medieval Medicine and Natural History from Lindberg. Once again this book is excellent and I would like to read all of it as time permits. I am concentrating on the biological aspects but it covers all the sciences, and there are chapters on Islamic science and medicine as well. I like the author's writing style, attention to detail, and the fact that he will freely admit when a topic is not that well known and is open to speculation.

By far the most interesting part of the reading concerned medieval surgery. Quite a bit of detail goes into describing corneal surgery, removal of kidney stones, repair of scrotal hernias, and other procedures, all carried out with little or no anesthesia. Lindberg says the real "heroes" of surgery at the time were the patients themselves, and I definitely agree with him on that point! Other parts I found interesting were the development of hospitals, the Islamic and Galenic influences on European medicine, and the discussion of early urine analysis and the examination of pulses. It was also fascinating that much of our earliest botanical knowledge derived from the development of herbals that served a practical medical purpose. As a biology teacher I feel remiss in never having heard of Albert the Great, especially since his work was fundamental to the development of both botany and zoology. At the end of the chapter Lindberg discusses bestiaries, and recounts some of the fascinating and even amusing traits attributed to some of the animals, such as lynx urine turning into a precious stone. The author reminds us though to be sure to view the bestiaries in the context of both the times and the purposes they served, not unlike when even today we look to the groundhog for meteorological reports. Also interesting to me was Lindberg's discussion of how Cristianity interacted with Greco-Roman medicine and natural history, and how he compares the practice of medicine in the Middle Ages to carpentry and construction today. That was a very enlightening analogy that could have practical use in the classroom.

One of the most surprising aspects of this chapter for me was the level of skill and knowledge physicians had in Medieval times, considering how long ago it was. Lindberg discusses bone-setters, specialists in herbs and other medicines, mid-wives, surgeons, apothecaries, and university-trained physicians. The discussion of what physicians called complexions, and how they related back to the humors I read about earlier, was surprising, in that it showed me how close they were coming to the concept of homeostasis, and how deviations from the "steady-state" characterized disease conditions. Also of note was the prescription of pig manure as a nose bleed remedy!

Further Reading Note:

T.H. White (translator), The Bestiary:A Book of Beasts, 12th century

William B. Ashworth, Jr., "Natural History and the Emblamatic World View"

Physiologus, various translations and treatments

Jerry Stannard, "Albertus Magnus and Medieval Herbalism"

Bibliographic Note:

David C. Lindberg, The Beginnings of Western Science, (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1992). This chapter (13) dealt with Medieval medicine and natural history.