Bibliograph

Medieval bodies, life, death and art in the Middle Ages, Jack Hartnell

Type

Label

Medieval bodies, life, death and art in the Middle Ages, Jack Hartnell

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-324) and index

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Medieval bodies

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1084327620

Responsibility statement

Jack Hartnell

Sub title

life, death and art in the Middle Ages

Summary

"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

Target audience

adult

resource.variantTitle

Medieval bodies, life and death in the Middle Ages

Classification

Creator