Hildegard of Bingen: On Natural Philosophy and Medicine by Margret Berger

Hildegard of Bingen: On Natural Philosophy and Medicine by Margret Berger

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), an important figure in her own time, has come increasingly to critical attention in recent years. 'Cause et Cure', attributed to Hildegard, is both a cosmological text and a medical handbook; it is a densely layered work woven together from diverse threads. It begins with a chapter on cosmology which leads to consideration of the human being as a small-scale copy of the universe. From here the focus shifts to the diseases and disorders which afflict human beings. The sections on treatment which follow provide information on medieval pharmacology and herbal healing. The text discusses the differences between male and female, human sexuality, embryology, sleep and dreams, signs predicting death or survival, astrological influences. The Introduction sketches Hildegard's life and career, and describes the cultural context with emphasis on medieval medicine. The Interpretive Essay discusses the selections presented in translation and alerts the reader to the benefits as well as the limits of medieval health care.MARGRET BERGER, formerly Associate Professor in the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies (German) at Simon Fraser University, has specialised in medieval German literature and Romance philology.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780859915519
ISBN 10	0859915514
Title	Hildegard of Bingen: On Natural Philosophy and Medicine
Author	Margret Berger
Series	Library Of Medieval Women
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Year published	1999-05-27
Number of pages	184
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.