Often times the Medieval Age is viewed with the skewed stereotypes of being disease-ridden and extremely misogynistic. Hildegard of Bingen dismantles all of these stereotypes. Hildegard was a nun who lived from 1098-1179 CE as a Benedictine abbess, among many other professions, at the convent she built in Rupertsberg, Germany (Mark). The 12th century was full of changes in religion, even being referred to as the "Medieval Reformation" as it was filled with new monastic orders and spiritual movements. Among these movements was a change in the view of nuns, as women who had devoted their lives to being "married to the church" found new opportunities and social classes, as well as being viewed as religious heroes and models for Christianity. Such was the case for Hildegard, who became so acclaimed for her teachings, accomplishments, and talents that she achieved a cult-like following.As a child, Hildegard was afflicted with sickness due to the many visions she was having. After having accepted these visions to be messages from God, she turned to the church, becoming deeply educated in music, literature, and medicine, among other talents (Mark). However, her greatest claim to fame was the fact that she was a Christian mystic, or a nun who had visions from God that were recorded and brought forth in religious teachings (Bennett 278).
Among the many changes in Christianity at the time, was the cultural contributions that were highly increased in monasticism. Hildegard was especially gifted in the medical practice. Hildegard's form of medicine was based upon Greek medicine involving herbs, humors, and overall lifestyle choices. Her implementations in this realm of medicine greatly enhanced medical practices of the time, setting the stage for the future of medicine (Bennett 272). Among her teachings in medicine were the humor system based upon blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile, basing the balance of these humors on overall health. She was also devoted to herbal remedies, using these as medicines to cure various diseases. The final aspect of Hildegard's medical practices was diet and attitude, as she brought forth the fresh new idea of how taking care of ones body leads to a longer, healthier life (Mark).Ultimately, Hildegard's medical career came to a pinnacle with the publishing of two books: Medicine and Causes and Cures of Disease (Mark). These medical books were just two of her many works of literature, teaching of her views in Christianity, the arts, language, and mysticism. Ultimately, Hildegard single handedly breaks down nearly all Medieval stereotypes, as she represents the the ideal of well-roundedness and Christian faith.
Sources:
Bennett, Judith M. Medieval Europe: A Short History. New York, McGraw Hill, 2011.
Mark, Joshua J. Hildegard of Bingen. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 30 May 2019, https://www.ancient.eu/Hildegard_of_Bingen/.
I really like your title of the blog, the use of alliteration really caught my eye and that’s why I’m reading this blog right now! I did not know that she is “gifted” with this medical practice. Would people do like they did with lectures and just copy her book down word for word to learn it?
ReplyDeleteThe image from that medieval manuscript on the bottom left is really cool! That's interesting that her work in the early medicinal field was so highly regarded at the time, especially since trained physicians tended to be wary of women practicing medicine. I wonder if she was more self-taught or if she received formal training when she was a nun.
ReplyDeleteEducated in the monastery and through observation and addressing the many issues through sight and observation. I am increasingly interested in this as I've been exploring the medical profession with my high school senior. I was not aware how much observation and apprenticeship goes into being a physician's assistant, for instance.
DeleteI love learning about pre-modern forms of medication and healing, It is really interesting to me. I find humors to be particularly interesting because of the similarity to Wu Xing in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This is relevant to me because I see a TCM practitioner and acupuncturist. You might be surprised how well these practices work.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! Newman's chapter on healing will be helpful to us. He generously explains how the 4 humors is about balance. And that is in many other forms of Eastern systems of healing and health.
DeleteIt's cool to think how she came up with the idea of taking good care of one's body leads to healthier and longer life. That phrase is so common now I feel at times that sometimes the phrase is not taken seriously enough. Back then I'm sure it was huge and completely changed ideas on health and nutrition for people.
ReplyDeleteI love this article. I too love the idea of medicine and have been trying to live a healthier lifestyle by using different natural resources from mama jeans. I find it interesting how she mentioned the idea of dieting. I figured back then people just kind of ate what ever was put in front of their face or nothing at all.
ReplyDeleteI had learned about the humor system before and I think we had gone over it in class a little but I always find it interesting that people were making these assumptions about the health of a human body so long ago.
ReplyDeleteIt's very interesting how Hildegard got to be a healer in the first place with the many visions she had. It's surprising to see how Hildegard introduced practices like diets and the humor system, she seems like a prodigy in the medical field.
ReplyDeleteCole, this was an amazing post. I like that you pointed out the misconceptions of the 'disease-riddled' Middle Ages and refute these stereotypes. I did not know that Hildegard was afflicted with sickness as a child, which probably led to her being interested in the medical field. The coolest part of this post is that Hildegard even wrote medical books. Hildegard seems like a fantastic lady with many great traits.
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