Book

Medieval bodies : life, death and art in the Middle Ages

Hartnell, Jack, author

Overview

\"With wit, wisdom, and a sharp scalpel, Jack Hartnell dissects the medieval body and offers a remedy to our preconceptions. Medieval beliefs about the body were drastically different from ours today: Hair was thought to be a condensation of fumes emitted from the pores, ideas were supposedly committed to memory by being directly imprinted on the brain, and the womb of a goat was believed to function as a contraceptive. But while this medieval medicine now seems archaic, it also made a critical contribution to modern science. Medieval Bodies guides us on a head-to-heel journey through this era's revolutionary advancements and disturbing convictions. We learn about the surgeons who dissected a living man's stomach, then sewed him up again; about the geographers who delineated racial groups by skin color; and about the practice of fasting to gain spiritual renown. Encompassing medicine and mysticism, politics and art-and complete with vivid, full-color illustrations-Medieval Bodies shows us how it felt to live and die a thousand years ago\"-- Provided by publisher.

• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
• Subject: Civilization, Medieval. / Medicine, Medieval. / Human body Social aspects History.
• ISBN: 9781324002161

Item info:

1 item available

1 item total in all locations

Holdings :

Call Number	Copies	Material	Location
CB351.H25 2019	1	BOOK	AUTOSTORE