WOMEN, MEDICINE AND LIFE IN THE MIDDLE-AGES (500-1500-AD)

The status of women in the Middle Ages was ambiguous, because although they had great responsibility and expertise in practical affairs they were viewed as chattel and inferior to men. They were skilled in cook ery, often of highly spiced dishes using a variety of ingredients and flavorings, and they were taught the use of medicinal herbs. They were often skilled in simple first aid, though they were not allowed to pr actise outside the home. An important exception to this was Hildegarde von Bingen, whose Physica brought her great renown. In it she became the first woman to discuss plants in relation to their medicinal prope rties. For most people in the Middle Ages, treatment revolved around h erbs and diet, together with faith and holy relies and the use of(forb idden) pagan incantation and ritual. Astrology was often a necessary a djunct to treatment. In Salerno, however, medicine had been practised from classical times, and medical training could last for 7 years or m ore. One of the greatest medieval medical texts is the Tacuinum Sanita tis, which describes in detail the 6 essentials for the preservation o f man's health. Several vegetables and herbs are mentioned in connecti on with the kidneys, the picking and preparation of which are imbued w ith magic.